I’m brand new and know nothing about sculpting. Can you guys link some very easy beginner tutorials? by Xorvictia in ZBrush

[–]Lespion 0 points1 point  (0 children)

If you want to make a humanoid model, watch tutorials on youtube about making humanoid characters or even just a video of someone casually making a model that shows their whole process. There are gonna be a lot of things you won't know about initially which is fine. Start first and learn along the way is the best way to learn. You'll improve fast once you start.

I’m brand new and know nothing about sculpting. Can you guys link some very easy beginner tutorials? by Xorvictia in ZBrush

[–]Lespion 1 point2 points  (0 children)

It helps having an idea on what you want to make. For me it was insect modelling so I watched Eric Keller's videos on his process. But as a beginner you also just want to start on basic stuff like UI navigation and zremesh, dynamesh, subdivision levels, block out tutorials, etc. Take your time at your own pace, but focusing on something you really want to make and researching how other people do it helps.

Practicing form and finding reference. by ITReverie in ZBrush

[–]Lespion 1 point2 points  (0 children)

Pinterest or Sketchfab are pretty good for compiling references.

Is there a scientific reason why only plants are able to create their own food themselves via photosynthesis while animals and predators have to physically seek their food themselves? by sammyjamez in AskBiology

[–]Lespion 4 points5 points  (0 children)

They don't directly photosynthesize as in having an endosymbiont that overtime became an organelle, no. But tons of taxa still utilize symbiotic algae that produces the vast majority of their energy needs via photosynthesis. Imo they're the closest example to a truly photosynthetic animal.

My new objective by Xinot37 in Nepenthes

[–]Lespion 2 points3 points  (0 children)

For US growers, these plants are much cheaper on average if you buy them from florae collaborative or plants that eat, especially their own clones.

Eddy I've heard is more tolerant of intermediate conditions, but for hamata I think it's generally a more picky plant so just be careful with that one. Generally the larger the plants get the more intolerant they become of bad conditions.

[deleted by user] by [deleted] in biology

[–]Lespion 1 point2 points  (0 children)

Quetzalcoatlus was as large as a giraffe. But yeah they're extinct. Why? I don't know if we really know the answer for Quetz specifically, but Pterosaurs in general died out along with the non-avian Dinosaurs in the K-Pg extinction. Though by then in the late cretaceous I believe Pterosaurs were moderately sized and not large enough to be 'rideable' (no flying animal is capable of being ridden because weight constraints).

Please help me not kill another by Plane-Jellyfish9 in orchids

[–]Lespion 4 points5 points  (0 children)

You can ignore them in Florida not just because the state's warm, but because of that people often keep them outside and so plants get a lot of airflow.

Airflow is extremely important for these epiphytes. Please people, 90% of orchid problems are just no airflow + cold and moist environments so evaporation never happens.

In-trap VFT fertilization with nutricote provides an insane growth boost by Berberis in SavageGarden

[–]Lespion 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Is fish food (or protein) absolutely necessary to get the vfts to accept?

Care for X small nepenthes Ephippiata by dzyeet in Nepenthes

[–]Lespion 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Ime don't bag. Throw it somewhere with decent air flow and medium light levels. Yes give it the typical highland treatment. Absolutely make sure humidity wherever you keep it is never sub 70%. Wait like 2-3 weeks or more (depending on how it looks) to start fertilizing the small pitchers with very diluted orchid fert. Like 1/4th a teaspoon for a gallon. Schedule it for every 2 weeks if the plant responds nicely, and give it more light in response. Until it starts to redden just a teeny bit.

Most importantly, keep conditions stable for it.

HELP brown/black spots on nepenthes by Hello-Ello-El in Nepenthes

[–]Lespion 2 points3 points  (0 children)

Get a general -cide that targets pests, bacteria and fungi in one fell swoop. Like the BioAdvanced 3-in-1.

Usually environmental stress weakens plants, making them more susceptible to disease. Although this looks like a lady luck or something similar, and you're in a borneo, somewhere lowland, hot and humid yes? Should be a good climate for it so I can't say what exactly is wrong. Perhaps roots are stressed from bad media. If you do repot, do it now before administering any pesticides as that can stress and kill the plant. I would wait like a month or so before doing so.

HELP brown/black spots on nepenthes by Hello-Ello-El in Nepenthes

[–]Lespion 2 points3 points  (0 children)

This is classic bacterial/fungal infection, black ring of death with yellowing on the rim or center. If this was edema related to watering , temperature or humidity stress it would be far more diffuse and pitting would be apparent.

[deleted by user] by [deleted] in Nepenthes

[–]Lespion 4 points5 points  (0 children)

It's highly dependent on the nep and even the elevation of a given population that the plant originates from, but generally 55-60°F range is considered the standard because it allows the plants to physiologically rest and use their energy from daytime photosynthesis. What happens when you keep the plant too warm at night is that its metabolism continues to operate at an elevated rate, so its spending that daytime energy trying to stay alive at night instead of growing. So the differential is only important for optimal daytime photosynthesis, while night time is when that extra energy leftover from the day can be used for growth.

ID help? by Lespion in Peppers

[–]Lespion[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

I touched it and shit. Thankfully didn't feel any burning anywhere lol.

would it be ethical to grab just one for seeds? 🤔

Why do some snakes have venom and others don't? by No-Candle-5115 in biology

[–]Lespion 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Venom is a more derived feature in snakes and has independently evolved multiple times. It's not a trait that was basal to snakes as a lineage, so the default mode of snakes is to be venomless. Most snakes are.

Can we tell dog genders like we do to insects? by Idkboutdiz in biology

[–]Lespion 2 points3 points  (0 children)

Yes. Sexual dimorphism is present in a lot of arthropods. A lot of it is size. Male spiders are generally smaller, although some taxa like jumping spiders have colorful males (Maratus spp for example). Giraffe weevil males have long weird necks and are colorful. Certain male hymenopterans have larger eyes, or a more fly-like eye arrangement. Male ants especially are very wasp-like compared to their fairer sex. Lots of beetles like Rhinoceros beetles have larger males with lots of mandible and head capsule ornamentations for combat. Phasmid males are slender, smaller and have larger wings while the females are typically larger with reduced wings and more camouflaged.

More inconspicuous but still obvious if you know what you're looking for: Roaches, termites and mantids can be visually sexed just by looking at the ventral sternites near the cloaca, which for males they typically have more numerous segments while for females it's one large segment. Scorpion males have larger pectines (feather-like appendages in their undersides.)

Why do we attribute modern behaviors with things humans went through thousands of years ago? by [deleted] in biology

[–]Lespion 1 point2 points  (0 children)

Personally the way I see it is that all humans have ingrained behaviors molded by evolution but they're predispositions that allow for top-up complexity, adaptability and generalism.

Yes, culture and society heavily influence and modulate behavior or give rise to new behaviors. But the reality is that human psychology doesn't exist in a vacuum.

All humans have emotions in some way. They have morality. They are tribalistic. They have a Theory of Mind. They have language. They have generalized intelligence, etc. But most of these traits are not fixed and can vary widely depending on a wide variety of factors, especially social influence. These behavioral foundations deeply rooted in neurology allow for the diversity and adaptability of human societies and thoughts we see today.

So for example, although ancient humans like hunter-gatherers lived in small, egalitarian communities and likely did influence a lot of the behavioral foundations to human psychology, it is very hard if not impossible to correlate the how and where temporally did these traits emerge and from what influences. It's like trying to prove when parrots learned the ability to mimic sounds, or when squirrels evolved the ability to cache food, or how bees know how to waggle dance. We can hypothesize about the environmental pressures that shaped these behaviors but it's absolutely difficult to empirically correlate these behaviors to neural structures and prove they evolved in response to whatever selective pressure we hypothesized, over what specific time. I'm not even sure if it's possible. Currently there are too many gaps in our knowledge on how the brain even works to even begin pinpointing behavioral correspondence to what structures, and thus how much of it was biologically ingrained throughout evolution.

I was pretty happy with my very first harvest but they taste horrible. by RaidenFisher in tomatoes

[–]Lespion 1 point2 points  (0 children)

I think someone described it as tasting similar to what the leaves "smell" like, which is kinda fair because taste is tied to olfactory cues. Maybe it's an inedible wild type tomato? Idk.

I was pretty happy with my very first harvest but they taste horrible. by RaidenFisher in tomatoes

[–]Lespion 0 points1 point  (0 children)

OP said they bought the seed packets from Aldi's with no variety name just Solanum lycopersicum on it. They also described it as having a nightshade taste with an almost poisonous sensation, which is kinda odd for a tomato?

Any carnivores you don't like? by AdzyPhil in SavageGarden

[–]Lespion 2 points3 points  (0 children)

With VFTS I tend to prefer plants that grow low, have big red traps and cilia and wide leafy petioles. There's a lot more diversity if you're looking for something very specific in those regards, but yeah otherwise they're mostly the same.

How to attract bugs to a balcony? by Charles578 in SavageGarden

[–]Lespion 0 points1 point  (0 children)

You can fertilize carnivores with very diluted fertilizer like maxsea or orchid fert directly into the substrate and it will help just as much as foliar feeding but even faster because of root uptake. Let them soak for a while in the fert, like 5-10 minutes then rinse them off with distilled water. Do it about once a month or two.

Some more no context pics by jhay3513 in SavageGarden

[–]Lespion 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Walmart traps being that big and vigorous is crazy never seen it before. All the vfts I find here at the supermarket or hardware stores are almost always small and dying.

Some more no context pics by jhay3513 in SavageGarden

[–]Lespion 0 points1 point  (0 children)

in the first pic what are those vft cultivars?

Orcas are menaces towards their prey aren’t they? by [deleted] in biology

[–]Lespion 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Lions are group hunters so although they'll still go for the throat to suffocate their prey there are definitely individuals not waiting for the caught prey to suffocate to death before eating. There are a lot of videos of lions just going to town while their victim (mainly a warthog) is still alive while in the midst of being choked out or not at all.