Linkee-poo, you can park wherever you please

Desmond Tutu, and so it goes.

"Scientists stumbled upon the fossilized remains of an ancient millipede the length of a small car dating from before the time of the dinosaurs. The animal is believed to have broken the record for the largest-known arthropod, a phylum of segmented invertebrates that includes insects, lobsters and spiders."

"An illustration shows a small animal in a tight tuck, legs pulled up, back curved and beaked head bent toward its tail. This is Baby Yingliang, a nickname given to a remarkable fossilized dinosaur embryo found inside an ancient egg and tucked into a position much like that of a modern bird just before it hatches."

"NASA’s James Webb Space Telescope launched at 7:20 a.m. EST Saturday on an Ariane 5 rocket from Europe’s Spaceport in French Guiana, South America." It'll take 29 more days to reach L2 and fully assemble. And every time I hear about where it will finally station (L2) I think of a William Gibson short story (whose title escapes me) where the L2 is a wormhole location where spacecraft keep disappearing.

"It's not the first time astronomers have discovered so-called "rogue planets" — free-floating planets that wander aimlessly through space without a host star to orbit. But they thought it was a somewhat rare phenomenon, until now… According to new research published in the journal Nature Astronomy, scientists have recently discovered an impressive number of these elusive exoplanets: 70 or more. It marks the largest such group ever spotted roaming the Milky Way — and it may be a crucial step in understanding the origins of the 'mysterious galactic nomads,' scientists say."

"Now, researchers have exposed tardigrades to the coldest temperatures and highest pressures that moss piglets have ever survived — not just to test the critters' biological limits, but also to see whether a frozen tardigrade could be incorporated into two quantum entangled electric circuits, then later revived to its normal active state." That's not been fully peer reviewed yet.

"An endangered Hawaiian monk seal that was found dead on the island of Molokai in September was intentionally killed with a gun, federal officials said Tuesday."

"Snow and cold continue to blanket the western and northern United States, setting up hazardous post-Christmas travel conditions Sunday and into the final week of 2021."

"When people feel pain, they tend to breathe faster. When they take an opioid to ease that pain, their breathing slows. And if they overdose, respiration can stop entirely… Now scientists have discovered a brain circuit in mice that appears to explain how opioids affect both pain and breathing, a team reports in the journal Neuron… The team also found evidence that it's possible to separate these effects, potentially allowing for pain drugs that don't affect respiration."

"Holidays are never quite the same after someone we love dies. Even small aspects of a birthday or a Christmas celebration — an empty seat at the dinner table, one less gift to buy or make — can serve as jarring reminders of how our lives have been forever changed. Although these realizations are hard to face, clinical psychologist Mary-Frances O'Connor says we shouldn't avoid them or try to hide our feelings."

"School's out for the holidays, and some colleges will start the new year remote due to the threat posed by the omicron variant." Ta-da!

"Employers in the U.S. are struggling to fill roughly 11 million open jobs. The pandemic gets most of the blame, but there's a related factor that gets less attention. Fewer immigrants are coming to fill those jobs — particularly in some key industries that keep the economy moving."

"A woman who reportedly caused a scene while on board a flight to Atlanta is now in FBI custody, according to Atlanta police… Police say they were called to Hartsfield-Jackson International airport last week in reference to an unruly passenger on a Delta flight from Tampa to Atlanta."

"A Harvard University professor charged with hiding his ties to a Chinese-run recruitment program was found guilty on all counts Tuesday… Charles Lieber, 62, the former chair of Harvard's department of chemistry and chemical biology, had pleaded not guilty to two counts of filing false tax returns, two counts of making false statements, and two counts of failing to file reports for a foreign bank account in China."

"Gov. Greg Abbott granted pardons and restorations of civil rights to eight Texans recommended by the Texas Board of Pardons and Paroles Thursday… The late George Floyd was not included on that list." Of course he didn't.

"The caller who ended a conversation with Joe Biden with the rightwing meme “Let’s go Brandon” – which means “fuck Joe Biden” – has insisted he was joking and meant no disrespect to the president." You know what, I really don't care WTF he says he intended or meant. Fuck that schmuck (his last name is Schmeck). He now says he feels like he's being attacked. Of course you are, you're a schmuck, asshole. Fuck you. And if your excuse is actually real, you're even a bigger schmuck, asshole.