Hunter A Sandy

Going to Mars is an incredibly hazardous venture that pushes the absolute boundaries of human survivability. Calling colonization "absurd" is an accurate reflection of the science: you cannot easily build a self-sustaining civilization on a frozen, irradiated rock covered in toxic soil, sitting in a near-vacuum, millions of miles away from the only industrial supply chain in the known universe.

Charlton, D. (2026). A review to assess the challenges of a human mission to Mars. Contemporary Issues in Air and Space Power.

White-lined Broad-nosed Bat, Platyrrhinus lineatus, in Goiás, Brazil

The world's first Conference on Transitioning Away From Fossil Fuels concluded last week and was not only a big success by itself, but hopefully a first step into a new era of global progress on climate change.

From the video above:

"This was a breakthrough in international climate diplomacy, but how successful it was and how history will look back on its being historic, will determine on the next few chapters of the story. If all the COPs so far were Chapter One of how the world brought itself to net zero, then this might be the start of Chapter Two."

The countries in attendance represent roughly half of the world's GDP and a third of its energy usage, together making up a "coalition of the willing" who were frustrated at the slow progress at COP.

Rather than using the consensus rules used at COP--which unfortunately lent themselves to being hijacked by countries with pro-oil agendas--this conference was focused on developing science-based roadmaps for various countries to successfully transition away from fossil fuel use.

No fighting over basic issues like whether climate change is worth addressing or if we need to cut our fossil fuel use--just small, closed-door meetings of policymakers, experts, and stakeholders working on figuring out solutions.

You can read more about this historic event in this article from Carbon Brief:

YIPPEE!!!

My art has been accepted into a new lovely archive's zine! Trans masc love.

Please visit the Trans Guy Archive website to look at lovely trans art and find my piece, Testosteronismo, in there.

I...tried to make a meme and got carried away and made A Thing that is like partially unfinished because i spent like 3 hours on it and then got tired.

I think this is mostly scientifically accurate but truth be told, there seems to be relatively little research on succession in regards to lawns specifically (as opposed to like, pastures). I am not exaggerating how bad they are for biodiversity though—recent research has referred to them as "ecological deserts."

Realizing that a species is imperiled has broad connotations, given that it tells us something about the plight of nature itself. It reminds us of the need to implement conservation measures and to protect the region of which the species is a part. But aside form the broader picture, species have intrinsic worth and are deserving of preservation. Surely an oddity such as C. vicinella cannot simply be allowed to vanish.

We should speak up on behalf of this little moth, not only because by so doing we would bolster conservation efforts now underway in Florida, [highlighting begins] but because we would be calling attention to the existence of a species that is so infinitely worth knowing. [end highlighting]

But is quaintness all that can be said on behalf of this moth? Does this insect not have hidden value beyond its overt appeal? Does not its silk and glue add, potentially, to its worth? Could these products not be unique in ways that could ultimately prove applicable?

male paper wasps are famously huge wimps but no individual i've ever encountered captures their essence quite as much as this one pathetically clinging to a plant like a crying baby while looking at me with his huge pleading green eyes after i interrupted his early evening nap