Sporadic Ramblings and Nerdery

This is genuinely a fantastic deal. $25 for over $900 worth of female-led indie comics from Image, all DRM-free and in cbz, epub, and pdf formats. Some really top tier creatives here—Greg Rucka, Nicola Scott, Jeff Lemire, Kelly Sue Deconnick, Ed Brubaker, Cliff Chiang, and many others! Highlights include Saga, Bitch Planet, Paper Girls, and Pretty Deadly—all complete to what’s been published.

#when the roast is five years old and aging like a fine wine

Innovative efforts salvage breeding season for threatened salamanders

More than 1,600 young Threatened frosted flatwoods salamanders reached the landscape this year despite one of the most severe droughts on record in parts of the Southeast. With seasonal wetlands failing to fill and natural reproduction largely disrupted, biologists implemented innovative recovery strategies that helped salvage a breeding season that otherwise may have largely failed. The Amphibian and Reptile Conservancy (ARC), a national nonprofit dedicated to conserving imperiled wildlife, led the effort in Florida and Georgia, adapting recovery strategies as drought conditions intensified this spring...

Posting wasp propaganda because my ass is seething yo!

A new species of the Giant Salamander genus Andrias (Amphibia, Urodela, Cryptobranchidae) from Yuexi, Anhui, China

Zhihao Jiang, Ruyi Huang, Jingjing Yang, Kai Zhao, Yixue Zhang, Tierui Zhang, Yucai Zhang, Jun Chu, Jinmin Chen, Song Huang

Abstract

Chinese giant salamanders (genus Andrias), encompassing the largest extant amphibian species in the world, are widespread in China. Several molecular studies have shown that there are several undescribed species of Andrias. A new species, Andrias yaoluopingensis sp. nov., is described, based on mitochondrial genomes and morphological characteristics from Yuexi County, Anqing City, Anhui Province, China. Morphologically, the new species is characterised by the combination of seven external characters: (1) head and trunk flat, head slightly longer than wide; (2) tubercles above the orbit few and irregularly distributed; (3) eye diameter longer than naris diameter; (4) lateral neck fold discontinuous with body fold at fore-limb insertion; (5) interdigital webbing slightly present; (6) finger length formula FIII > FII > FI > FIV; and (7) dorsum tan in life, darker blotches present on trunk. Molecularly, the new species and an undescribed clade (identified in previous studies) of Andrias form an independent clade with strong support (1.00/100) in the phylogenetic trees, based on mitochondrial genomes. The number of species in Andrias now reaches six, but cryptic species richness in the Chinese giant salamanders deserves further attention.

Read the paper here:

ICE Contractor Arrested After Shooting Protester Who Was Walking Away

ICE can not be reformed, it must be abolished. ICE goons can not be redeemed, they must be prosecuted and held accountable for their violence.

365 DC Comics Heroes & Villains Paper Cut-Outs

The Golden Glider

Lisa Snart grew up in an abusive home.  Her father was a violent man who suffered from terrible alcoholism.  Lisa’s older brother, Lenny, was highly protective of her and would often provoke their father so to maintain his anger on him and spare Lisa.  While this protected Lisa from being abused it also fostered an unhealthy codependence on her brother.  Years later, when Lenny became the costumed supervillain known as Captain Cold, Lisa felt compelled to follow his path and she became a villain as well.  

Lisa is a gifted ice skater and excelled in the field of competitive figure skating.  She competed under the pseudonym of ‘Lisa Star’ and had ambitions to earn a chance to compete in the olympics.  Her coach and lover was Roscoe Dillan, an associate of her brother’s as well as the villain known as The Top.  

Roscoe passed away from a rare type of brain cancer, yet Lisa blamed his death on The Top’s nemesis, The Flash.  Intent on taking revenge, Lisa vowed to take down The Flash.  She fashioned a specialized pair of ice skates that allowed her to glide on air and, dressed in a golden costume, dubbed herself ‘The Golden Glider.’  Although she was able to bedevil Scarlett Speedster for a time, Lisa was never able to defeat the hero.  

Lenny did what he could to dissuade his sister from a life as a costume criminal, but his words fell on deaf ears. Indeed Lisa began to resent her brother over his efforts to control her life.  In a poorly thought through act of defiance, Lisa provided a new villain with a version of her brother’s cold cold, believing he could replace her brother and act as her partner in crime.  Calling himself ‘Chillblaine’ this cad used the cold gun on Lisa, killing her instantly.  Lenny would later avenge his sister, killing Chillblaine.  

In the Nu52 rebooted continuity, Lisa’s death is mysteriously undone and she appears as a metahuman villain who has the ability to become intangible, move at super sonic speeds and control sharp, ribbon-like tendrils that manifest from her hands.  This version of the Golden Glider recruits the Rogues to do her bidding but is ultimately defeated by The Flash with the aid of her brother Captain Cold.  

Lisa and Lenny later reconciled and joined forces alongside the Rogues to pull off capers and go up against The Flash.  The villainous siblings are still at large.  

Cassandra Wins commission for a Patron!

Nude Alt

Part 1 / Part 2 / Laura Wins /