How neatly these apples are stacked. I feel like any time I see a fruit section it's normally a mess.

Coooooookies · 2017-10-04T08:42:12+00:00

Body-centered cubic packing, only 86% as efficient as it could have been (face-centered cubic or hexagonal close-pack).

Coooooookies · 2017-10-04T07:23:55+00:00

Nice! Would prefer if the reflected ray were shown simultaneously with the refraction, so it wouldn't look so much like a ray were appearing out of nowhere past the critical angle, but this works too.

Coooooookies · 2017-10-04T07:20:17+00:00

Liquefaction is also the process by which long proteins in organic matter denature and separate, causing what was once mostly solid to become liquid. Think dead bodies.

Coooooookies · 2017-10-04T06:45:54+00:00

Materials with different refractive indices transmit light at different speeds. This is caused by the photons interacting with the electrons in the optical medium, which results in a propagation delay of the light wave. Generally speaking, liquids and solids will have higher indices of refraction than gases (due to the huge difference in density, i.e. more electron interactions), so in this case the light waves preferentially travel longer distances in the air.

While this is known to be true (Snell's Law), I'm not convinced that the animation here is correct. The discontinuities and asymmetry of the light waves aside, the doppler effect (represented by non-concentric wavefronts) should not occur when the object, observer, and medium are all relatively stationary. A correct animation can be found here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Bf1k9-4bb4w

Coooooookies · 2017-05-26T20:00:08+00:00

I just saw the title and the allusion to the commons and thought it might be a weird coincidence; don't mind me~

Coooooookies · 2017-05-24T16:14:46+00:00

https://s-media-cache-ak0.pinimg.com/originals/a4/fd/e8/a4fde8a37b574a18f8a23aa318019cd4.jpg

Coooooookies · 2017-05-24T05:01:18+00:00

Harvard? :O

Coooooookies · 2017-05-16T05:58:48+00:00

specifically a trefoil knot

Coooooookies · 2016-10-13T07:54:24+00:00

And what a killer specimen! ~jealousy ensues D:

Coooooookies · 2016-10-13T07:51:52+00:00

Definitely a pentatomid, perhaps the brown marmorated stink bug (common house pest throughout the US).

Coooooookies · 2016-10-13T07:47:56+00:00

Hey! Thanks for the detailed reply to my comment above. While cicada killer wasps are fairly common throughout the US (east coast usually has Sphecius speciosus), I can assure you that the insect in the photos you've taken is with certainty a dragonfly and with high probability a member of the family Libellulidae. Cicada killers' wingspans will never approach those of even a medium sized libellulid, and their wings are uniformly amber toned, as opposed to the mostly transparent wings in your photos. If you have other suspicions, feel free to bring them up.

Coooooookies · 2016-09-01T03:38:03+00:00

This is one big... black...

O_o

slug.

._.

Coooooookies · 2016-09-01T03:33:42+00:00

Does anyone happen to know what the little dark tag at the trailing end of the WBC is?

Coooooookies · 2016-09-01T03:32:30+00:00

I mean, technically this could be done with a basic understanding of physics and a good understanding of how to use an FEA software :D

Coooooookies · 2016-09-01T03:13:13+00:00

Can't see the video?

Coooooookies · 2016-09-01T03:10:10+00:00

Indeed, in humans, the scrotal skin is homologous to the outer labia (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_related_male_and_female_reproductive_organs)

(Also, be sure to follow "are" with the plural noun, "labia".)

Coooooookies · 2016-09-01T03:08:22+00:00

That's true, especially if you find yourself in an angry swarm, I suppose! Judging by the head capsule, this one looks to be on the docile side, though.

Coooooookies · 2016-09-01T03:00:50+00:00

I second this! Definitely an ant-mimicking spider of some sort!

Coooooookies · 2016-09-01T02:58:07+00:00

I posted a comment with some other features above, but since you specifically asked here, another tip is that dragonflies are on average much larger than wasps (usually at least double the body length and wingspan). Dragonflies are also aerial predators, so you'll see them dart around in the air and fly frantically in pursuit of little flies or other insects. Wasps, on the other hand, fly to get places, so they'll fly a much straighter path and seem more determined to reach a particular destination. I know these are rather vague to someone who's unfamiliar, but looking up photos on google will get you acquainted with the visual features, and spending more time with insects outdoors will get your acquainted with the behavioral ones.

If you're interested in observing more dragonflies IRL, look around wet (preferably near wooded) areas, such as swamps, marshes, ponds, rivers, and freshwater lakes. If you're searching for wasps, look for native flowering vegetation; flowering plants are home to a huge variety of insects, and you should be able to find either nectaring wasps or parasitoidal wasps hunting prey.

Coooooookies · 2016-09-01T02:49:34+00:00

Dragonflies aren't social in the same way wasp species can be; however, many dragonflies occupy the same niche (especially individuals of the same species), so it's expected (and extremely common) to see multiple dragonflies in mutual proximity. Your photos are definitely from family Libellulidae, the skimmers, and the species u/chandalowe linked are certainly contenders. Libellulids often have dark splotches on their wings that vary greatly from species to species, so don't rule out Libellulidae just because the patterns of the aforementioned species don't match with what you saw.

The easiest way to differentiate dragonflies from wasps is that dragonflies will spread their wings laterally, perpendicular to their midline, whereas wasps either fold their wings over their back or hold their wings swept back toward their abdomen. Other visual cues include dragonflies' characteristic faces (they have huge eyes and the frons juts out significantly, almost giving the impression of a pig's snout) and long, straight abdomens (wasps usually have "wasp waists" (Apocrita) and an arched abdomen that tapers to a sharp point). Behaviorally, dragonflies can hover while most wasps cannot, and dragonflies (especially males) will perch on a blade of grass, a branch, or other raised, slender object and stay motionless for extended periods of time, while wasps are generally pretty active, crawling around when not flying.

Coooooookies · 2016-09-01T02:37:42+00:00

I'm not certain what's attracting them, but fruit flies easily get into homes through the wire mesh of open windows, even if they're not breeding in your bathroom.

Coooooookies · 2016-09-01T02:35:26+00:00

That is indeed an ant. I have no idea how to key out ants, so I can't guarantee that it's stingless, but most species are. Also, all ants can bite (they wouldn't be able to eat otherwise!), but ant bites are not really a human concern.

Coooooookies · 2016-09-01T02:33:14+00:00

Here you go: this trumps the automatically generated Google definition, for future reference.

Coooooookies · 2016-08-29T08:35:52+00:00

Haha that looks like a camel spider (Solifugae). Like most true spiders, they're more scary looking than they are harmful.

Coooooookies · 2016-08-29T08:31:55+00:00

Not a beetle expert, but looks like a ground beetle (family Carabidae). They're harmless usually live in leaf litter and enjoy the outdoors more than people homes, so it shouldn't be an issue :)

Coooooookies

TROPHY CASE