Ace of Spades HQ

September 19, 2013

— Ace

'Sup?

A "Tardigrade"? What?

It's actually some kind of primitive... well I don't want to say "insect" as it's not clearly related to insects, or lobsters, but it's believed to be somehow related to those.

They call it a "water bear" just to freak people out, I guess.

I really feel like we're being punked. I'm not kidding. I feel like some clever people have gotten together to pretend this thing is real so they can laugh at us later.

But they're pretending with web references and videos and everything. They even got to Wikipedia.

Let's get small, man. Video and other increasingly Small World of Science stuff below the jump.

I still don't believe it.

@debbywitt offers this collection of bizarre electron-microscope photos of very small things. Including pot, for the pot-heads.

How you doin'?

Apparently that's a marine worm. I don't know what that is. I assume it's a worm that lives in some sort of a desert or woodlands environment. Possibly the mighty Taiga of the Serengeti.

And then there's this new idea in Quantum Physics.

Physicists have discovered a jewel-like geometric object that dramatically simplifies calculations of particle interactions and challenges the notion that space and time are fundamental components of reality.
Â“This is completely new and very much simpler than anything that has been done before,Â” said Andrew Hodges, a mathematical physicist at Oxford University who has been following the work.
The revelation that particle interactions, the most basic events in nature, may be consequences of geometry significantly advances a decades-long effort to reformulate quantum field theory, the body of laws describing elementary particles and their interactions. Interactions that were previously calculated with mathematical formulas thousands of terms long can now be described by computing the volume of the corresponding jewel-like Â“amplituhedron,Â” which yields an equivalent one-term expression.
Â“The degree of efficiency is mind-boggling,Â” said Jacob Bourjaily, a theoretical physicist at Harvard University and one of the researchers who developed the new idea. Â“You can easily do, on paper, computations that were infeasible even with a computer before.Â”

Nature's little Lite-Brite set.

It is pretty. On the other hand, it will now be seized upon by a thousand post-modern Liberal Arts Majors as some kind of metaphor for Why They Can't Land a Husband.

You know, like the way Chaos Theory explained everything!!!11!! from 1993 to 1997.

Chaos Theory You Guys.

Thanks to @charlescwcooke and @sarahstevenson

Posted by: Ace at 01:32 PM | Comments (196)
Post contains 405 words, total size 3 kb.

1
♪ Blown wide open ... ♫

Posted by: AoSHQ Margins at September 19, 2013 01:34 PM (uYaYO)

2
The blog. Its VAST.

Posted by: fixerupper at September 19, 2013 01:34 PM (nELVU)

3 Don't worry, Tardisil is an effective treatment.

Posted by: Jinx the Cat at September 19, 2013 01:35 PM (l3vZN)

4 omg-- that is gross. I vote-- punked.

Posted by: tasker at September 19, 2013 01:36 PM (r2PLg)

5 That caterpillar thing up top has an AR-15 bolt face for a nose. Fake.

Posted by: Gristle Encased Head at September 19, 2013 01:36 PM (+lsX1)

6 Any way you can fix the print and margins?

Posted by: L, elle at September 19, 2013 01:36 PM (0PiQ4)

7 They are very tiny,a giant one would make a great Kaiju for a Godzilla movie though.

Posted by: steevy at September 19, 2013 01:37 PM (9XBK2)

8 Punked. The leaves look like terry clothe no?

Posted by: tasker at September 19, 2013 01:37 PM (r2PLg)

9 It's blow out the margins day at the HQ.

Posted by: Tami[/i][/b][/u][/s] at September 19, 2013 01:37 PM (bCEmE)

10 yeah, it's the cloth-nozzle monster, about to die face down in the mud in Vietnam

Posted by: Walter Sobchak at September 19, 2013 01:38 PM (omBWL)

11 Don't know about the nose, but I used to look at water bears with my Handy Andy Microscope when I was a kid. It sure has the body of one.

Posted by: Jinx the Cat at September 19, 2013 01:38 PM (l3vZN)

12 That amplitehedron thing is going to open a gateway for the Great Old Ones.NTTAWWT

Posted by: steevy at September 19, 2013 01:38 PM (9XBK2)

13 Whoa .

Posted by: Bill D. Cat at September 19, 2013 01:38 PM (0iJzo)

14 Wait...why the hell am I going the extra mile and assuming the "green" is fake...

Posted by: tasker at September 19, 2013 01:38 PM (r2PLg)

15 I'll let you know after I put my contacts in.

Posted by: NCKate at September 19, 2013 01:38 PM (bGGsv)

16 You are being embiggened, I can tell you that.

That's a photoshop of a real critter, I believe. Dustmite, or some such.

Posted by: fluffy at September 19, 2013 01:38 PM (z9HTb)

17 No problem believing it's real. One look through a microscope was enough to convince me that Sci-Fi writers were woefully unimaginative with their Space Alien Horrors.

Posted by: Lincolntf at September 19, 2013 01:38 PM (ZshNr)

18 Tiny critter, huge graphic. (You're not being punked, though I wouldn't mind a plush tardigrade just to set down next to my plush Nyarlathotep...)

Posted by: Brother Cavil at September 19, 2013 01:39 PM (naUcP)

19 I believe the Marine Worm one, no question. Met some pile worms once sharkfishing. Fuckers were just as spooky and bit you like all get out. Creepy shit out there.

Posted by: eureka! at September 19, 2013 01:39 PM (hmMJD)

20 Whoa who embiggenized the blog?. At Mammoth Cave KY today nice place

Posted by: NativeNH at September 19, 2013 01:39 PM (TmMXR)

21 Yup. It's also called a "water bear." They're almost indestructible.

Real as death and ObamaCare.

Posted by: Tacky Adhesive at September 19, 2013 01:39 PM (TJw7K)

22 I have a shower head that looks just like the first photo's "head."

Posted by: Jesse Pinkman at September 19, 2013 01:39 PM (T0Pku)

23 Water Bears is an odd name but a real critter. A real, tiny, phylogenetically complex critter that can survive in space. Because nature just wants you to know you ain't all that. PS they're called "bears" because of how they move, a bear-like shambling gait. Or that's what they *want* you to think. They're not microscopic grizzly bear seeds. Probably.

Posted by: Merovign, Dark Lord of the Sith's Other Mobile[/i][/b][/s][/u] at September 19, 2013 01:39 PM (qyfb5)

24 No--that's it because if they put real green crap in there you might get perspective via comparison and or relativity. Some bullshit like that.

Posted by: tasker at September 19, 2013 01:39 PM (r2PLg)

25 What till they get a load of me... *laughs maniacally*

Posted by: The Amplituhedron Bear at September 19, 2013 01:39 PM (8nunQ)

26 That nozzle nose looks like PVC.

Posted by: Lincolntf at September 19, 2013 01:39 PM (ZshNr)

27 Bullshit new-agey stolen physics terms to explain life's failures: It's All Relative --> Quantum Physics, man. Uncertainty and Duality, dude. --> Chaos! And Fractals! --> Complexity and shit!

Posted by: Flatbush Joe at September 19, 2013 01:40 PM (ZPrif)

28 "It is pretty. On the other hand, it will now be seized upon by a thousand post-modern Liberal Arts Majors as some kind of metaphor for Why They Can't Land a Husband."

Gigglebox status: On.

Cannot find the off switch.

Posted by: Jaws at September 19, 2013 01:40 PM (4I3Uo)

29 The more you know, the more you realize, you don't know nothin'. So, have a beer. Or, a Scotch, in my case.

Posted by: artisanal 'ette at September 19, 2013 01:40 PM (IXrOn)

30 You wanna see something that looks like PVC?

Posted by: Sandra Fluke at September 19, 2013 01:41 PM (l3vZN)

31 That top one looks like Baron Harkonnen's dog from the directors cut of Dune.

Posted by: Dang at September 19, 2013 01:41 PM (Hx2XA)

32 Tardigrades can live in space. THey are true immortals. Until they die normally

Posted by: imp at September 19, 2013 01:41 PM (L9AnB)

33 Amplituhedron Bear hates autocorrect.

Posted by: The Amplituhedron Bear at September 19, 2013 01:42 PM (8nunQ)

34 First we find out nature has gears, now a face-mounted minigun.

Posted by: Beagle at September 19, 2013 01:42 PM (sOtz/)

35 Too many strings, man. Just need to snip that one string holding the JEF puppet up...

Posted by: artisanal 'ette at September 19, 2013 01:42 PM (IXrOn)

36 that was a big mistake.

Posted by: ace at September 19, 2013 01:42 PM (/IWYB)

37 First critter: fake
Second critter: possible
Amplituhedron? Who knows? It isn't like I understand it. OTOH, I doubt the authors do either. And no, neither does AmishDude.

Posted by: pep at September 19, 2013 01:43 PM (6TB1Z)

38 I think the Retardigrade thingy is related to the elephant looking thing at Jabba's Palace.

Posted by: mugiwara at September 19, 2013 01:43 PM (hpYnL)

39 It's funny that they're calling that "amplituhedron" a discovery since it doesn't physically exist. I suppose the triangle was discovered at some point... If it allows them to solve the quantum math calcs they weren't able to do before - then it is[/] a big deal.

Posted by: Comrade Arthur at September 19, 2013 01:43 PM (83xuc)

40 Any sufficiently advanced science will look like magic.
Except global warming.
That science is settled.
As magic.

Posted by: RoyalOil at September 19, 2013 01:43 PM (VjL9S)

41 that was a big mistake. Posted by: ace at September 19, 2013 05:42 PM (/IWYB) heh. I'll drink to that.

Posted by: artisanal 'ette at September 19, 2013 01:43 PM (IXrOn)

42 It's always nice to see the guy that doesn't believe in giraffes posting.

Posted by: Merovign, Dark Lord of the Sith's Other Mobile[/i][/b][/s][/u] at September 19, 2013 01:43 PM (qyfb5)

43 >>> that was a big mistake.

What, you fed it after midnight?

Posted by: fluffy at September 19, 2013 01:44 PM (z9HTb)

44 First we find out nature has gears, now a face-mounted minigun. So what you're saying is, I don't need an aquatic surgeon, I can just breed sharks with fricken' laser beams on their heads?

Posted by: Brother Cavil at September 19, 2013 01:44 PM (naUcP)

45 Looks like someone shoved an IUD into a dishtowel. I call BS.

Posted by: Minnfidel at September 19, 2013 01:44 PM (bXdYS)

46 No, ace, these bugs are nihilists, there's nothing to be afraid of.

Posted by: Walter Sobchak at September 19, 2013 01:44 PM (omBWL)

47 I think you're being super-punked, if that's a word.

Posted by: Dr Spank at September 19, 2013 01:44 PM (9jLim)

Posted by: Lincolntf at September 19, 2013 05:38 PM (ZshNr

What he said.

Under a microscope is complexity we often don't bother to imagine.

Posted by: tsrblke at September 19, 2013 01:44 PM (GaqMa)

49 urg.

Posted by: Comrade Arthur at September 19, 2013 01:45 PM (83xuc)

50 46 Looks like someone shoved an IUD into a dishtowel. I call BS.

Vacuum cleaner bag was my first thought.

Posted by: pep at September 19, 2013 01:45 PM (6TB1Z)

51 That not-quite-real-looking look to color-enhanced electron microscopy is well known.

I read once that it has something to do with fractals and Mandelbrot and nerd stuff like that, but that's way above my pay grade.

Posted by: CharlieBrown'sDildo at September 19, 2013 01:45 PM (gqgiP)

52 They're not microscopic grizzly bear seeds. Probably. Posted by: Merovign, Dark Lord of the Sith's Other Mobile

I love how that "Probably" undermines my confidence in my future quiet safety and enjoyment of outer space.

Posted by: Dianna at September 19, 2013 01:45 PM (DV/Ik)

53 that was a big mistake.

Posted by: ace

I thought someone moved my desk closer to my chair.

Posted by: Dang at September 19, 2013 01:46 PM (Hx2XA)

54 I love how that "Probably" undermines my confidence in my future quiet safety and enjoyment of outer space. Posted by: Dianna at September 19, 2013 05:45 PM (DV/Ik) Outer space is a lovely place to take your children. Probably.

Posted by: Merovign, Dark Lord of the Sith's Other Mobile[/i][/b][/s][/u] at September 19, 2013 01:46 PM (qyfb5)

55 I once found a deposit of diamond grown by chemical vapor deposition in a scanning electron microscope. It looked like a twig and two berries, if you get my drift. True story.

Posted by: pep at September 19, 2013 01:46 PM (6TB1Z)

56 Let's send them into space to be bombarded with radiation and then bring them back to earth where they give birth. RADIOACTIVE TARDIGRADNADO!!

Posted by: RWC Chalupa Batman at September 19, 2013 01:46 PM (fWAjv)

I'd also note not to worry much about things that look "fake" in the picture.

Lighting on even medium powered microscopes for photography is highly artificial (I know that sounds obvious, but I also mean it bears very little resemblance to natural light.)

It makes the pictures look weird.

Posted by: tsrblke at September 19, 2013 01:47 PM (GaqMa)

58 >>>But you know I'd imagine it's some kind of
ancestor to weasels.

I'm thinking it's an ancestor of the modern vacuum bag.

Posted by: rdbrewer at September 19, 2013 01:47 PM (Iyg03)

59 Once you look in a microscope, you realize we're not at the top of the food chain.

Oh, and there's nowhere on earth (other than a clean room) a human has been that they're never more than about arms length from some minute critter that could be termed a "spider". Some "spiders" are so small you need a microscope to see'em.

When the govt is done working you over, the spiders and cockroaches will have their way with you.

Posted by: Purp[/i][/b][/u][/s] at September 19, 2013 01:47 PM (9MLX+)

60 *disposable

Posted by: rdbrewer at September 19, 2013 01:47 PM (Iyg03)

61 So you google the tardigrade images--and that one stands out as over-detailed damn it. http://www.google.com/search q=tardigrade&client=safari&sa=N&rls=en&tbm=isch& tbo=u&source=univ&ei=cHA7UtqnLrDWigK0hIHgDg&v ed=0CCgQsAQ4Cg&biw=1066&bih=569&dpr=1

Posted by: tasker at September 19, 2013 01:47 PM (r2PLg)

62 That picture looks fake.

Posted by: Boss Moss former editor of the Harvard Law Review at September 19, 2013 01:47 PM (0axsw)

63 See? Look at critters my scale have to put up with!

Posted by: Considerably Less Than Face Sized Spider at September 19, 2013 01:47 PM (naUcP)

64 Tardigrade, what's behind Hillary's facade.

Posted by: panzernashorn at September 19, 2013 01:48 PM (MhA4j)

65 Apparently that's a marine worm. I don't know what that is. I assume it's a worm that lives in some sort of a desert or woodlands environment. Possibly the mighty Taiga of the Serengeti.

Geez, don't you know anything?

That's not a worm, it's a close-up of a clitoris.

Posted by: Hollowpoint at September 19, 2013 01:48 PM (SY2Kh)

66 I'm kind of with Ace though, if these things are real, why haven't we heard more about them if we've been experimenting on them with remarkable results for so long?

Because the GOP establishment doesn't want you to know about them. Duh.

Posted by: pep at September 19, 2013 01:48 PM (6TB1Z)

67 A: "Tardigrades"

Q: Name the term used to describe young Jaws's performance in all of his 8am college classes.

Posted by: Jaws at September 19, 2013 01:48 PM (4I3Uo)

68 Just read through that Amplituhedron. Pretty interesting stuff, lining up with what I've been thinking must be the case--spacetime is not a real thing. It's not fundamental, it's just the sum total of the interactions of particles. I'm going to have to pursue this more rigorously. Thanks for linking it, Ace.

Posted by: .87c at September 19, 2013 01:48 PM (qZPXs)

69 It's a space manatee. From space.

Posted by: Cicero (@cicero) at September 19, 2013 01:48 PM (8ZskC)

70 These images will haunt my dreams. (works best if you hear Arnold Schwarzenegger in your head)

Posted by: nip at September 19, 2013 01:48 PM (jI23+)

71 That second photo is a vagina dentata.

Posted by: CharlieBrown'sDildo at September 19, 2013 01:48 PM (gqgiP)

72 As info...these are the worms that sank wooden boats for years until they figured it out and began copper cladding the hulls...expensive solution

Posted by: getonwithit at September 19, 2013 01:48 PM (MbeEN)

73 The "nozzle" doesn't appear as detailed in any of the other photos.

Posted by: tasker at September 19, 2013 01:48 PM (r2PLg)

74 You see images like these all the time in the layman's Science magazines. Actually, you don't, but you used to before they all became Global Warming Panic pamphlets.

Posted by: Lincolntf at September 19, 2013 01:49 PM (ZshNr)

75 Hmmm. Might people who believe that religion is 'the opiate of the Masses' be tempted to use science not only in some sort of War on Religion but also as a means of directing the Masses' limited attention span away from politics to something which looks "neat" but which they can't really do anything about/with?

Posted by: Mirror-Universe Mitt Romney at September 19, 2013 01:49 PM (yUeDC)

76 Speaking of pictures of very small things, can I text you some stuff?

Posted by: Anthony Wiener at September 19, 2013 01:49 PM (8ZskC)

77 One Adam Twelve. See the man in the video with the $#!T eating grin. You are being punked.

Posted by: Boss Moss former editor of the Harvard Law Review at September 19, 2013 01:50 PM (0axsw)

78 It looks like Hillary giving a carpet what for.

Posted by: dirks strewn at September 19, 2013 01:50 PM (n+DCP)

79 As for this small thing, I really don't know that much. Big things seem far more interesting and pertinent.

Posted by: Mirror-Universe Mitt Romney at September 19, 2013 01:51 PM (yUeDC)

80 spacetime is not a real thing

We created "space/time" to try and explain those shadows dancing on the cave's wall.

Posted by: Purp[/i][/b][/u][/s] at September 19, 2013 01:51 PM (9MLX+)

81 Under a microscope is complexity we often don't bother to imagine.

Posted by: tsrblke at September 19, 2013 05:44 PM (GaqMa)

Speak for yourself.

Posted by: Barack Hussein Obama at September 19, 2013 01:51 PM (gqgiP)

82 Physicists have discovered a jewel-like geometric object that dramatically simplifies calculations of particle interactions and challenges the notion that space and time are fundamental components of reality.

I had one in the '80s. It was called a Rubiks Cube.

Posted by: Cicero (@cicero) at September 19, 2013 01:51 PM (8ZskC)

83 Ahhhh, looks like a candidate for a Gund toy.

Posted by: artisanal 'ette at September 19, 2013 01:51 PM (IXrOn)

84 I've seen the first critter before.

I forget what it is, but it's microscopic.

Posted by: Veeshir at September 19, 2013 01:52 PM (dKqLR)

85
That thing looks cloth and plastic and the "moss" is yarn.

Posted by: Guy Mohawk at September 19, 2013 01:53 PM (sj9LN)

86 75 The "nozzle" doesn't appear as detailed in any of the other photos. Posted by: tasker at September 19, 2013 05:48 PM (r2PLg) http://tinyurl.com/ore3929

Posted by: RWC Chalupa Batman at September 19, 2013 01:53 PM (fWAjv)

87 This is my tardigrade. There are many like it, with different nozzles, but this one is mine. Also, these: http://bit.ly/Zmlcke

Posted by: Merovign, Dark Lord of the Sith's Other Mobile[/i][/b][/s][/u] at September 19, 2013 01:53 PM (qyfb5)

88 The "nozzle" doesn't appear as detailed in any of the other photos. Could be that he's excited in that one. Maybe we ain't looking at his schnoz.

Posted by: Sandra Fluke at September 19, 2013 01:53 PM (l3vZN)

89 Posted by: getonwithit at September 19, 2013 05:48 PM (MbeEN)

Those are called shipworms, and I think they are something different.

Posted by: CharlieBrown'sDildo at September 19, 2013 01:53 PM (gqgiP)

90 "82 spacetime is not a real thing We created "space/time" to try and explain those shadows dancing on the cave's wall. Posted by: Purp at September 19, 2013 05:51 PM (9MLX+) " Well, time is sort of illusory. It's just change/potential change. The spacial metaphor/extrapolation doesn't really represent time properly. But I suspect physical space is real enough. :-P

Posted by: Mirror-Universe Mitt Romney at September 19, 2013 01:53 PM (yUeDC)

91 This amplitujedron thingy seems to touch on Yang-Mills. "Yang-Mills existence and mass gap" happens to be a mathematical Millennium Problem. I wonder if this new geometrical object will solve that problem. Also, locality not being a barrier to physics? Prepare ship for ludicrous speed

Posted by: rawmusclglutes at September 19, 2013 01:53 PM (sXPQf)

92 It's a young Helen Thomas.

Posted by: Dr Spank at September 19, 2013 01:54 PM (9jLim)

93 From the Wiki entry. Although some species are parthenogenetic, both males and females are usually present, each with a single gonad located above the intestine. Two ducts run from the testis in males, opening through a single pore in front of the anus. In contrast, females have a single duct opening either just above the anus or directly into the rectum, which thus forms a cloaca.[18] Tardigrades are oviparous, and fertilization is usually external. Mating occurs during the molt with the eggs being laid inside the shed cuticle of the female and then covered with sperm. A few species have internal fertilization, with mating occurring before the female fully sheds her cuticle. In most cases, the eggs are left inside the shed cuticle to develop, but some attach them to nearby substrate.[18] The eggs hatch after no more than fourteen days, with the young already possessing their full complement of adult cells. Growth to the adult size therefore occurs by enlargement of the individual cells (hypertrophy), rather than by cell division. Tardigrades may moult up to twelve times.[18]

Posted by: steevy at September 19, 2013 01:54 PM (9XBK2)

94 I really feel like we're being punked. I'm not kidding. I feel like some clever people have gotten together to pretend this thing is real so they can laugh at us later.

And we would have gotten away with it if it weren't for you meddling Smart Milbloggers!

Posted by: The Secret League of Super-Smart Friends at September 19, 2013 01:55 PM (8ZskC)

95 Half the bugs in your garden probably go through development stages that look just as bizarre as The Beige Hose worm, or whatever the fuck that ting is called.

Posted by: Lincolntf at September 19, 2013 01:55 PM (ZshNr)

96 It's the bag from an Orrick Space vacuum.

Posted by: LC LaWedgie at September 19, 2013 01:55 PM (6xhLc)

97 But I suspect physical space is real enough

The only reason space exists, is so all the stuff didn't smash into a mondo black hole again just as fast as it banged ;->

Posted by: Purp[/i][/b][/u][/s] at September 19, 2013 01:56 PM (9MLX+)

98 >>>Physicists have discovered a jewel-like geometric object that dramatically simplifies calculations of particle interactions and challenges the notion that space and time are fundamental components of reality.<<<

This is how a physicist admits he screwed up with the old lady. Hey buddy, candy and flowers work too.

Posted by: Fritz at September 19, 2013 01:56 PM (oBz1n)

Posted by: tasker at September 19, 2013 05:47 PM (r2PLg)

Could be post process coloring for the purposes of a journal cover (or just a cool image.)

It's uncommon to tweak images for show like that.

Posted by: tsrblke at September 19, 2013 01:56 PM (GaqMa)

100 "96 From the Wiki entry. Although some species are parthenogenetic, both males and females are usually present, each with a single gonad located above the intestine. Two ducts run from the testis in males, opening through a single pore in front of the anus. In contrast, females have a single duct opening either just above the anus or directly into the rectum, which thus forms a cloaca.[18] Tardigrades are oviparous, and fertilization is usually external. Mating occurs during the molt with the eggs being laid inside the shed cuticle of the female and then covered with sperm. A few species have internal fertilization, with mating occurring before the female fully sheds her cuticle. In most cases, the eggs are left inside the shed cuticle to develop, but some attach them to nearby substrate.[18] The eggs hatch after no more than fourteen days, with the young already possessing their full complement of adult cells. Growth to the adult size therefore occurs by enlargement of the individual cells (hypertrophy), rather than by cell division. Tardigrades may moult up to twelve times.[18] Posted by: steevy at September 19, 2013 05:54 PM (9XBK2) " I think the picture was better. :-P

Posted by: Mirror-Universe Mitt Romney at September 19, 2013 01:56 PM (yUeDC)

101 89 75 The "nozzle" doesn't appear as detailed in any of the other photos. Posted by: tasker at September 19, 2013 05:48 PM (r2PLg) http://tinyurl.com/ore3929 Posted by: RWC Chalupa Batman at September 19, 2013 05:53 PM (fWAjv) **************** Okay--I'm off to take a look--hopefully it isn't the London Boys...

Posted by: tasker at September 19, 2013 01:56 PM (r2PLg)

102 Two ducts run from the testis in males, opening through a single pore in front of the anus. In contrast, females have a single duct opening either just above the anus or directly into the rectum, which thus forms a cloaca.[18]

And here I didn't even know they were German.

Posted by: Hollowpoint at September 19, 2013 01:57 PM (SY2Kh)

103 Isnt that one of the BUGS, BUGS, BUGS that rattles Andrew Sullivans mind so much? Well, the good Andrews mind anyway...

Posted by: Elize Nayden at September 19, 2013 01:57 PM (hzamq)

104 The Spice must flow.

Posted by: EC at September 19, 2013 01:57 PM (doBIb)

105 Off sock. And it's amplituhedron. Dunno how the j illegally immigrated there

Posted by: boulder toilet hobo at September 19, 2013 01:57 PM (sXPQf)

106 102 Posted by: tasker at September 19, 2013 05:47 PM (r2PLg) Could be post process coloring for the purposes of a journal cover (or just a cool image.) It's uncommon to tweak images for show like that. Posted by: tsrblke at September 19, 2013 05:56 PM (GaqMa) *************** Yep. RWC's link just showed me up. Boom! Guess he took more time doing the image searches. It''s REAL!! YUCK!!

Posted by: tasker at September 19, 2013 01:59 PM (r2PLg)

107 It's a young Helen Thomas. Posted by: Dr Spank at September 19, 2013 05:54 PM (9jLim) ha! metamorphosis made it worse

Posted by: artisanal 'ette at September 19, 2013 01:59 PM (IXrOn)

108 "The revelation that particle interactions, the most basic events in nature, may be consequences of geometry . . . "

No fucking shit, Sherlock/Physicist.

"No! Everything in the universe operates totally randomly! Otherwise the wingers will be able to prove God exists!"

Idiots.

Posted by: Sharkman at September 19, 2013 01:59 PM (5mRmR)

109 It's found in Lake Michigan with the porpoises.

Posted by: nerdygirl at September 19, 2013 01:59 PM (mHUKK)

110 Looks like someone cross stitched on it's paws. Bogus.

Posted by: Boss Moss former editor of the Harvard Law Review at September 19, 2013 02:00 PM (0axsw)

111 I for one welcome our new Tardigrade overlords

Posted by: Minnfidel at September 19, 2013 02:00 PM (bXdYS)

112 "100 But I suspect physical space is real enough The only reason space exists, is so all the stuff didn't smash into a mondo black hole again just as fast as it banged ;-> Posted by: Purp at September 19, 2013 05:56 PM (9MLX+) " I like to think that space exists so I have somewhere to walk around in and in which to interact with the other "meat puppets." :-P Later, all. God bless. :-)

Posted by: Mirror-Universe Mitt Romney at September 19, 2013 02:00 PM (yUeDC)

113 Some how I fell like I double punked myself--and in public.

Posted by: tasker at September 19, 2013 02:01 PM (r2PLg)

114 Ever see what a dust mite looks like under high mag? Put it this way.... MWR and AtC would rather snuggle face-sized clown spiders to their bosoms than glance upon those critters. They look like nightmare creatures cranked to 11.

Posted by: EC at September 19, 2013 02:01 PM (doBIb)

115

They were going to send it to outer space because.... is that wise? I mean we have had such luck with introducing species to foreign eco systems on earth and all.

And wow. Theoretical Physics and I could do the math? I don't think so. That would put Sheldon out of work.

Thanks Ace, I clicked because I am sick of being sick of the world right now... those things are cool.

Posted by: petunia at September 19, 2013 02:01 PM (DAcBA)

116 Honey Badger don't give a shit about punk ass water bears.

Posted by: JackStraw at September 19, 2013 02:02 PM (g1DWB)

117 []112 It's found in Lake Michigan with the porpoises. Posted by: nerdygirl

So, you're saying it swims with the fishes? (yeah, yeah, I know)

Posted by: pep at September 19, 2013 02:02 PM (6TB1Z)

118 Ever see what a dust mite looks like under high mag? *** There's one at the link

Posted by: Niedermeyer's Dead Horse at September 19, 2013 02:02 PM (DmNpO)

119 The "nozzle" doesn't appear as detailed in any of the other photos.

Posted by: tasker

Please do not be alarmed. We are about to engage... The Nozzle.

Posted by: weft cut-loop [/i] [/b] at September 19, 2013 02:02 PM (Y/M/K)

120 There really should be an Ace of HQ diet plan. Revulsion therapy. Every time--I try to eat and read a thread....

Posted by: tasker at September 19, 2013 02:02 PM (r2PLg)

121 MAN the Benghazi thread got stomped just as it was about to get all ragey and flamey

Posted by: Jones in CO at September 19, 2013 02:03 PM (8sCoq)

122 "Although some species are parthenogenetic, both males and females are usually present, each with a single gonad located above the intestine"................See and you idiots thought Barry was Kenyan. President Tardigrade!!!!

Posted by: Minnfidel at September 19, 2013 02:03 PM (bXdYS)

123 They were going to send it to outer space because.... is that wise? I mean we have had such luck with introducing species to foreign eco systems on earth and all.

Inverse Andromeda Strain. Get the little green bastards before they get us.

Posted by: pep at September 19, 2013 02:03 PM (6TB1Z)

124 Honey Badger is mentioned in the comments of the video.

Posted by: Boss Moss former editor of the Harvard Law Review at September 19, 2013 02:03 PM (0axsw)

125 and that thing looks like a manatee balloon from the Macy's parade with a showerhead for face

I call BS

Posted by: Jones in CO at September 19, 2013 02:03 PM (8sCoq)

126 The beastie on the bottom looks like the graboids from Tremors.

Posted by: steevy at September 19, 2013 02:04 PM (9XBK2)

127 and the 'moss' looks like one of those potholders you made as a kid at summer camp

Posted by: Jones in CO at September 19, 2013 02:04 PM (8sCoq)

128 The jewel is dilithium no doubt.

Posted by: Sarahw at September 19, 2013 02:05 PM (LYwCh)

129 MAN the Benghazi thread got stomped just as it was about to get all ragey and flamey

Posted by: Jones in CO at September 19, 2013 06:03 PM...............I think Ace saves stuff like this for such occasions. Oooh look, tardigrade!!!!!!!!!!

Posted by: Minnfidel at September 19, 2013 02:05 PM (bXdYS)

130 Of course it is real and the reason for the pause in Global warming or the reason for Global warming.

Posted by: Trevor (@TJexcite) at September 19, 2013 02:06 PM (a7NX9)

131 Okay--I'm off to take a look--hopefully it isn't the London Boys... Posted by: tasker at September 19, 2013 05:56 PM (r2PLg) Whatever do you mean?!? ps - I am in the 'shit's real and will be in my nightmares' camp.

Posted by: RWC Chalupa Batman at September 19, 2013 02:07 PM (fWAjv)

132 122 The "nozzle" doesn't appear as detailed in any of the other photos. Posted by: tasker Please do not be alarmed. We are about to engage... The Nozzle. Posted by: weft cut-loop at September 19, 2013 06:02 PM (Y/M/K) ************** LOL!

Posted by: tasker at September 19, 2013 02:07 PM (r2PLg)

133 132 You're right. Another Chillax thread.

Posted by: Boss Moss former editor of the Harvard Law Review at September 19, 2013 02:07 PM (0axsw)

134 OT headline, it's Greek to me Leftist = anti-Fascist A torrent of world-wide publicity has followed the murder of leftist musician Pavlos Fyssas by Golden Dawn supporter Giorgos Roupakias, two nights ago. Next to the thugs themselves, it is the Greek government who must bear the full responsibility not only for Golden Dawn and its crimes, but also for the fact that a brutal, racist, totalitarian agenda now forms a significant part of the Greek stateÂ’s attitude towards democracy and its institutions. http://borderlinereports.net THE PROBLEM IS THE GREEK GOVERNMENT, NOT GOLDEN DAWN September 19, 2013 GOLDEN DAWN, 1980-2012. THE NEONAZISÂ’ ROAD TO PARLIAMENT October 25, 2012

Posted by: panzernashorn at September 19, 2013 02:07 PM (MhA4j)

135 It looks like a dude in a rubber suit because it is an electron microscope pic. They all look fake to start with.

At least they didn't call it a "water-Viking".

Because, you know . . .

Posted by: Sharkman at September 19, 2013 02:07 PM (5mRmR)

136 Whatever do you mean?!? ps - I am in the 'shit's real and will be in my nightmares' camp. Posted by: RWC Chalupa Batman at September 19, 2013 06:07 PM (fWAjv) **************** Ya--you just moved me to your camp. Thanx--and I mean that Canadian style. Ace punks us by linking to London Boys. He hasn't done it in awhile.

Posted by: tasker at September 19, 2013 02:08 PM (r2PLg)

137 I haven't seen a punking like this since women came up with that whole "woman orgasm" thing and men bought into it.

Posted by: Dr Spank at September 19, 2013 02:08 PM (9jLim)

138 Is it time to jump back to the Benghazi post yet?

Posted by: John P. Squibob at September 19, 2013 02:09 PM (kqqGm)

139 Please do not move while The Nozzle is engaging. Moving will disrupt calibration of... The Nozzle.

Posted by: weft cut-loop [/i] [/b] at September 19, 2013 02:09 PM (Y/M/K)

140 It's all real!

Posted by: EC at September 19, 2013 02:10 PM (doBIb)

141 That second photo is a vagina dentata. That's not a worm, it's a close-up of a clitoris. Stop this , you'll give DiT the vapours .

Posted by: Bill D. Cat at September 19, 2013 02:10 PM (0iJzo)

142 This isn't the thing with gears from a few days ago?

Posted by: Boss Moss former editor of the Harvard Law Review at September 19, 2013 02:10 PM (0axsw)

143 Is it time to jump back to the Benghazi post yet?
Posted by: John P. Squibob at September 19, 2013 06:09 PM

Would be nice to have names of the Democrat sub-humans who bailed. Otherwise, it's just good to know other people's rage about this equals my own....

Posted by: MrScribbler at September 19, 2013 02:11 PM (kaGpp)

144 Yeah, pretty weird. But you ain't seen nuthin yet! Saw this earlier today. http://www.nature.com/news/insect-leg-cogs-a-first-in-animal-kingdom-1.13723

Posted by: Diogenes' Lamp at September 19, 2013 02:11 PM (bb5+k)

145 http://po.st/jE0K1l They get different mouths for different seasons. (See the mouth slide)

Posted by: Sarahw at September 19, 2013 02:11 PM (LYwCh)

146 The magnified pic of the maggot looks plain goofy.

That species of fly would've gone extinct long ago if they continued to look like that as adults- they'd never get laid.

Posted by: Hollowpoint at September 19, 2013 02:11 PM (SY2Kh)

147 18:
There are plenty of cute plush tardigrades on the web at reasonable prices: just Google "plush 'water bears'". The baby in this picture doesn't seem thrilled to have a nozzel-faced one crawling on his shoulder: http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v11/bmann/Miscellaneous/Water_Bear_Plush_Baby_zpsd1a56493.jpg

Posted by: Dr. Weevil at September 19, 2013 02:11 PM (acD6j)

148 It's the new Disney movie, Finding Tardigrade.

Posted by: Minnfidel at September 19, 2013 02:11 PM (bXdYS)

149 From that same website Ace linked with the electron microscope pics is this version of Bohemian Rhapsody by some physics geeks called:

Bohemian Gravity

Pretty awesome. Did I see this a few nights ago on the ONT?

Posted by: Sharkman at September 19, 2013 02:12 PM (5mRmR)

150 Wait a minute. We can find these wee beasties and photograph them but zippo on Harry the Bigfoot, Nessie, and Yeti?

Posted by: Count de Monet at September 19, 2013 02:12 PM (BAS5M)

151 It broke.

Posted by: Boss Moss former editor of the Harvard Law Review at September 19, 2013 02:12 PM (0axsw)

152 >Would be nice to have names of the Democrat sub-humans who bailed. Otherwise, it's just good to know other people's rage about this equals my own....

Posted by: MrScribbler at September 19, 2013 06:11 PM (kaGpp)

Rep. Carolyn B. Maloney, New York
Rep. Eleanor Holmes Norton, District of Columbia
Rep. John F. Tierney, Massachusetts
Rep. Wm. Lacy Clay, Missouri
Rep. Stephen F. Lynch, Massachusetts
Rep. Jim Cooper, Tennessee
Rep. Gerald E. Connolly, Virginia
Rep. Matt Cartwright, Pennsylvannia
Rep. Mark Pocan, Wisconsin
Rep. Tammy Duckworth, Illinois
Rep. Danny K. Davis, Illinois
Rep. Robin Kelly, Illinois
Rep. Peter Welch, Vermont
Rep. Tony Cardenas, California
Rep. Steven Horsford, Nevada
Rep. Michelle Lujan Grisham, New Mexico

Posted by: Jones in CO at September 19, 2013 02:12 PM (8sCoq)

153 Sharkman: I answered that Norsemen/Northmen question you had on the other thread, just so you know.

Posted by: Jeff B. at September 19, 2013 02:14 PM (n/+FT)

154 I had a caterpillar on a shirt I left outside recently. I went inside, grabbed a camera and took some pics on macro/micro. Un-fucking-believable. The eyes were insane looking, then I pissed the thing off and it stuck its forked tongue out at me. I shit you not, a tongue that had forks to it. Completely flat eyes with orange circles around them, like a cartoon, but real. If you pay attention to nature you learn some strange shit. Nothing that's gonna help you sleep 8 to 10 hours without waking up in a nightmare, unfortunately.

Posted by: Schrödinger's cat [/i] at September 19, 2013 02:14 PM (U2UQk)

155 Wait a minute. We can find these wee beasties and photograph them but zippo on Harry the Bigfoot, Nessie, and Yeti?

I'd settle for Barry's transcripts.

Posted by: pep at September 19, 2013 02:14 PM (6TB1Z)

156 My Big Fat Greek Fascists?

Posted by: Dack Thrombosis at September 19, 2013 02:14 PM (V1ZIU)

157 It's no goblin shark, that's for sure. Goblin shark is real. And awesome.

Posted by: PAgirlinNC at September 19, 2013 02:15 PM (NAZsW)

158 148 http://po.st/jE0K1l They get different mouths for different seasons. (See the mouth slide) Posted by: Sarahw at September 19, 2013 06:11 PM (LYwCh) ************ Ah-ha. So that would explain what I thought I saw till I couldn't look anymore. IYKWIMAITYD.

Posted by: tasker at September 19, 2013 02:15 PM (r2PLg)

159 >Wait a minute. We can find these wee beasties and photograph them but zippo on Harry the Bigfoot, Nessie, and Yeti?

I'd settle for Barry's transcripts.

Posted by: pep at September 19, 2013 06:14 PM (6TB1Z)

I'd settle for his whereabouts/companions on the night of 9/11-12/2012

Posted by: Jones in CO at September 19, 2013 02:16 PM (8sCoq)

160 Anyone else here think that Tardigrade looks like something God made from leftover foreskin molecules?

Posted by: elliot at September 19, 2013 02:16 PM (5TH5k)

161 Since when do worms have beaks?!!! At least it's not a ginger

Posted by: Navycopjoe at September 19, 2013 02:16 PM (igDix)

162 What's autonomous, amphibious, and emits sarin gas from it nozzle-like proboscis?

No dummy, it's a Syrian rug monkey.

Posted by: Fritz at September 19, 2013 02:16 PM (oBz1n)

163 I keep a 10x magnifying glass in my shed to inspect novel insects. They're all freaky.

Posted by: Lincolntf at September 19, 2013 02:16 PM (ZshNr)

164 So that would explain what I thought I saw till I couldn't look anymore.

IYKWIMAITYD.

To be honest, IHNFI.

Posted by: pep at September 19, 2013 02:17 PM (6TB1Z)

165 So someone has taken pictures of the little people in my veja?

Posted by: St Sandra at September 19, 2013 02:17 PM (wR+pz)

166 167 So that would explain what I thought I saw till I couldn't look anymore. IYKWIMAITYD. To be honest, IHNFI. Posted by: pep at September 19, 2013 06:17 PM (6TB1Z) ********************* I'm trying to eat a late lunch. This thing is grossing me out--at the moment. Risotto is on the menu.

Posted by: tasker at September 19, 2013 02:20 PM (r2PLg)

167 Water bear? Real. Platypus? Real. Obama's foreign policy? Fucking fantasy.

Posted by: Herr Morgenholz at September 19, 2013 02:21 PM (NJ0ag)

168 All real, and check out that fetching example of a maggot!

Posted by: Sticky Wicket at September 19, 2013 02:22 PM (sCynV)

169 I bet HeatherRadish could knit one of those water bears.

Posted by: Mindy at September 19, 2013 02:22 PM (DtKhn)

170 I'd settle for Barry's transcripts. Posted by: pep at September 19, 2013 06:14 PM (6TB1Z) I'd settle for that letter from Ambassador John Armstrong written to James McClure on March 16, 1810.

Posted by: Diogenes' Lamp at September 19, 2013 02:22 PM (bb5+k)

171 Show the Quantum Physics to my High School daughter who is taking Chemistry and Geometry right now and she said, "I bet they talk about it on Big Bang Theory, maybe I'll understand it then." Yeah, maybe.

Posted by: petunia at September 19, 2013 02:23 PM (DAcBA)

172 My job is to completely fuck with you.

Posted by: God at September 19, 2013 02:23 PM (NJ0ag)

173 Oh, and have I mentioned how pissed off I am lately?

Posted by: God at September 19, 2013 02:24 PM (NJ0ag)

174 Remember..... These things are crawling all over your skin right now. Inside your nostrils, mouth, ears, eyes, "bits", anywhere you can think of. Sleep tight!

Posted by: EC at September 19, 2013 02:26 PM (doBIb)

175 Rust monster! +3 against armor

Posted by: Y-not, miserable Redskins fan on the phone at September 19, 2013 02:28 PM (5H6zj)

176 90 Also, these: http://bit.ly/Zmlcke Posted by: Merovign, Dark Lord of the Sith's Other Mobile at September 19, 2013 05:53 PM (qyfb5) Now that's what I call fine art.

Posted by: rickl at September 19, 2013 02:28 PM (sdi6R)

177 My job is to completely fuck with you.

Posted by: God at September 19, 2013 06:23 PM (NJ0ag)

In all eleven dimensions.

Posted by: CAC at September 19, 2013 02:29 PM (/zG8W)

178 Never believe electron microscopists!

Posted by: Y-not, electron microscopist on the phone at September 19, 2013 02:30 PM (5H6zj)

179 177. My wife has me trying to crawl on her at night Between these nasties and my naked boney ass she'd take the bugs and sleep better

Posted by: Navycopjoe at September 19, 2013 02:30 PM (MBzEc)

180 BTW anyone else find it odd that pot looks like a field of shrooms under the scope?

Posted by: CAC at September 19, 2013 02:30 PM (/zG8W)

181 182 177. My wife has me trying to crawl on her at night Between these nasties and my naked boney ass she'd take the bugs and sleep better Posted by: Navycopjoe at September 19, 2013 06:30 PM (MBzEc) Use the......nozzle!

Posted by: EC at September 19, 2013 02:34 PM (doBIb)

182 159. Commie v. Fascist Greeks rumble A brawl in the red light district left a communist hip-hop singer whose stage name was Killah P killed by 2 knife wounds delivered by a 45 year old nationalist aka fascist. The socialist Greek government plays dirty. Concentration camps of immigrants, drug abusers, STD carriers, torture suspects taken into police custody with tazers leaving burning scars, criminalizing HIV. Not pretty. It takes two to tango. But evidently, this provides "reason" for the EU to mandate the socialist Greek Government to crack down harder. SOZ: It was Andreas Loverdos who called Golden Dawn Â“an authentic movementÂ”. And it was New Democracy MP Chrysanthos Lazaridis, the Prime MinisterÂ’s foremost adviser, who even now, a day after the murder, blamed the Left and the main opposition party SYRIZA in particular for Â“undermining democracyÂ”. These examples, of which there are many more, should make the targeting of Golden Dawn, as directed by the Greek government only after its many attacks and murders of immigrants gave way to the murder of a Greek, all the more transparent. It is not just that having Makis Voridis, a prominent New Democracy MP, call Golden Dawn a Â“criminal organizationÂ” is the height of hypocrisy, as Mr Voridis was formerly a leader of the extreme nationalist party National Front, and before that had served as secretary for the Youth Organization of EPEN, a fascist party, having succeeded in this position Nikos Michaloliakos, the current leader of Golden Dawn. It is that is should become clear to all that in the erosion of Greek democracy, Golden Dawn never was and still is not the principal culprit; this honor rather belongs to those who have been governing Greece for the past years.

Posted by: panzernashorn at September 19, 2013 02:34 PM (MhA4j)

183

Oh and since we're talking physics and space and all that jazz, we only perceive three spatial dimensions (unless we're under the influence of drugs, which may actually tease out another one or two but with pretty nasty side effects on the conscious mind), but likely live inside a black hole pinched out from a fourth-dimensional universe, nothing is truly as it seems since our perception of reality is limited by our sensory organs and brain, and there are likely an infinite number of yous in other universes right now.

And in another 500 million years when the sun has evolved to a point where most life on earth has been wiped out, the tardigrades will rule over all.

Posted by: CAC at September 19, 2013 02:35 PM (/zG8W)

184 Tardigrade, please don't squeeze the Charmin.

Posted by: panzernashorn at September 19, 2013 02:36 PM (MhA4j)

185 von Neumann probe + tardigrades=profit.

Posted by: 13times at September 19, 2013 02:37 PM (fGPLK)

186 Very cool stuff

Posted by: Joe at September 19, 2013 02:38 PM (0yvz+)

187 Looks like something right out of Half Life 2.

Posted by: EC at September 19, 2013 02:38 PM (doBIb)

188 CAC, along with any life form that can hibernate until "all is well" within the range of survival. It isn't as if tardigrades can actually survive the most severe conditions that the sun could deliver earth, I'd argue.

Posted by: panzernashorn at September 19, 2013 02:40 PM (MhA4j)

189 in case (a) no one linked this already and (b) anyone cares:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tardigrade

Posted by: mallfly at September 19, 2013 02:53 PM (bJm7W)

190 Tardigrade is what you get in public school, right?

Posted by: Beagle at September 19, 2013 03:15 PM (sOtz/)

191
Bohemian Gravity

Posted by: Sharkman at September 19, 2013 06:12 PM (5mRmR)

Fucking hyperlink fail. Here is the video: http://tinyurl.com/ogxnv8z

Posted by: Sharkman at September 19, 2013 03:17 PM (5mRmR)

192 From Pep:
"Oh, and there's nowhere on earth (other than a clean room) a human has been that they're never more than about arms length from some minute critter that could be termed a "spider"."

Dude, there is NO WAY there are 'spiders' in my shower. Just, no way.

or my bathtub. I can't stand the thought of spiders in my shower...

...really?

Posted by: Jonn F'n Kerry at September 19, 2013 04:08 PM (UIAT6)

193 It's probably a Kaboom critter and doesn't have the money and high placed pals like Assad to get top men working out the wrinkles like John Kerry. Though the thing might survive Chairman Oaf's reign long after Twinkies and cockroaches are dust. This post is one reasons I love this blog.

Posted by: Dion at September 19, 2013 05:09 PM (q+FIa)

194 OK, I'm skipping ahead here but why is the damn thing wearing a uniform?

Posted by: EROWMER at September 19, 2013 07:03 PM (OONaw)

195 please, these images are worthless without a scale. could be a nanometer or a kilometer.

Posted by: nitpicker at September 19, 2013 07:56 PM (f/qE7)

196 Is tat (be still my heart) a LASER BEAM in the middle of it's face?

Posted by: Auntie M at September 20, 2013 01:04 PM (4KF7N)

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