andromeda strain

A research laboratory in Braunschweig, working with ESA, the European Space Agency, has been culturing samples of extremely hardy bacteria that have been isolated in samples collected on parts of space-probes after being sterilised for assembly and deployment.

The biological significance in these studies is of course terrifying and exciting at the same time: like the super-bugs that have survived and thrived in hospital environments, scientists expected no living organism to be able to withstand these conditions, yet there they are and such bacteria have probably already been inadvertently sent out as terrestrial emissaries into space.

day-trip: good for the goose, good for the gander

Over the weekend, we had the chance to re-visit the millennium-old cathedral of Mainz (Mainzer Dom) and walk the aisles. The bishopric itself, never an independent suffragan and surrounded by other competitive dioceses, saw its elevation due to the industry of Johannes Gensfleisch (the Latin Gens transformed in the German Sippe, a clan, but to my ears, like the German word for goosebumps, Gansehaut) zur Laden Gutenberg and his printed-word, complementing the established craft of the city in linen and textile printing.
Coincidentally, we visited on the Feast Day of St. Martin, to whom the grand cathedral was dedicated, built in hopes of establishing itself as a Holy See. Saint Martin of Tours, one of the first famed contentious objectors and reluctant to be honoured for his stance, was betrayed by a gaggle of friendly geese, whom gave away his hiding spot to the fellow-priests who wanted him as their leader. Because of this, it is traditional to feast on a goose in Germany on St. Martin's Day.

dipterology

Mostly evolution, mutation and adaptation are mere moments in time, relics of some impetus and rarely understood in full context—however, there are generational slices (especially when coming at a fast pace) that keen observers sometimes have the chance to witness and document. Boing Boing brings on such fascinating example (though rare but not quite unique) with an entomologist discovers a population of fruit-fly that has images of ants genetically tattooed on its wings to apparently fend off potential predators. That seems pretty boss, although the trigger maybe to attract bug collectors, as well, since after all the most convincing image of an ant isn't determined by the fly but rather the eye of the beholder.

in the room the women come and go, talking of michelangelo, or prufrock and other observations

Julien Peters delivers an excellent recitation of T. S. Eliot's seminal modernist's work, The Love Song of J. Alfred Prufrock, illustrated in comic strip style. The artist has given several dozen classic pieces of poetry the same treatment and it's fun and moving to follow along with stanza and verse converted to panels in the form of graphic novellas.

neat, sweet, petite

Happy Mutant David Pescovitz shares a wonderfully garish gallery of photographs from the set of the Addams Family. It is strange to see a black-and-white television show colourised in this way.