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Groundtrack | Surgery To-Go | Spider-(ant)Man

Issue #102

Welcome to casualSTEM! New name, same great content. You’ll also find a few decorative changes below. I think you’ll like ‘em 😁

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Groundtrack

If nothing falls in the woods, apparently it does make a sound. Researchers heard forest floors tell stories about their health.

  • Sounds generated by vibrations from underground organisms

  • Samples taken from deforested and restored forest plots

  • Measurements analyzed for diversity of sound

Restored plots played a more diverse symphony compared to deforested ones. Continuing testing eco-acoustics for forest health could lead to enhanced climate change monitoring. Or at least some chill lo-fi beats to save the planet to.

Surgery To-Go

Pop-ups - great for cards, shops, and operating rooms. SurgiBox’s SurgiField portable clean-room fits in a backpack in three parts.

  • Plastic SurgiBubble, air pump + filter, rechargeable battery

  • Sets up in just a few minutes

  • Seals to patient’s skin

SurgiField includes armholes for surgeons to do their thing before packing up everything but the single-use SurgiBubble. 50 units were supplied to Ukraine in April and reportedly saved 31 lives. I wonder if they also sell a surge protector?

Spider-(ant)Man

Even jumping spiders like to wear costumes. Siler collingwoodi cosplays as an ant to avoid predators.

  • S. collingwood’s front legs raise to mimic antennae

  • It then copies stop-and-go gait and abdomen bobbing

  • Spider-strut is close enough, but not a perfect match

When tested S. collingwood avoided natural predators. Haters Researchers believe imperfect impersonation may be an advantage that enables camouflaging with various ant species. Imagine Tom Holland impersonating Paul Rudd…

Clickables

🐢 Turtles working together to help a flipped friend

👽️ xkcd started a war by pranking aliens

🐔 Gene-edited hens lay allergy-free eggs

🦈 Follow your favorite sharks with this live tracker

🩺 Another wearable ultrasound brings us closer to cyborgs

st3v on site

Subterranean Orchestra

st3v listening to music coming out of the ground

Forest floors are known for their relaxing earthy base lines. They also play music st3v likes.

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