Today’s notable word is phytophotodermatitis: an inflammatory skin reaction caused by dual exposure to a toxic plant and the sun. This is a fun one to break down: phyto=plant, photo=light, derma=skin, itis=inflammation; from the Greek. Keep your eye out for two of the Bay Area’s phytophototoxic species, Cow Parsnip (Heracleum maximum) and Giant Hogweed (Heracleum mantegazzianum). The latter is known to cause serious sunburn-like reactions.
Floating Water Bridge
Known as the water thread experiment, this phenomenon shown above seems to defy the intuitive laws of everyday physics. The experiment was first demonstrated in 1863 by British Engineer William Armstrong.
Two containers of deionized water, placed in some sort of insulator (glass beakers work fine), must be connected by a thin thread and exposed to a high-voltage charge (one beaker receives the positive charge, and the negative to the other.) At a critical voltage threshold, a water bridge forms between the two containers across the thread - which remains even when the containers are separated!
Typically, the diameter of this bridge is no more than 1-3 mm, but can remain intact as far as an 25mm! The surface temperature, due to the voltage, rises from about 20 °C (68 °F) up to 60 °C(140 °F)! The longest that the phenomenon has lasted is 45 minutes.
(via moviesorientated)
Source: quantumaniac
Source: little-brownbook
Word of the Day #2: Phytophotodermatitis
DOUBLE FORTUNE
Be mischievous and you will not be lonesome.
Be mischievous and you will not be lonesome.
Source: chirp
Shaggy Manes! on Flickr.
Coprinus comatus
not sure what this is, but whoa! on Flickr.
mystery solved! this is Nigella damascena.
sorrel trio on Flickr.







