ever heard of a disco clam?

you won't believe the stuff that goes on in this article:

In an experiment, Dougherty put a mantis shrimp in the same tank as a disco clam and monitored the animals’ activity. But as she quickly learned, the bivalve was not to be bullied. Once attacked by the shrimp, the clam spewed acidic mucus at the crustacean, disarming the shrimp and sending it into a catatonic state. Upon further investigation, Dougherty and her team found that the clam’s fleshy lips were laced with sulfuric acid, a substance commonly found in car batteries and drain decloggers. (via)

2PzGifGuide

it's time to start thinking about what you're going to get us for christmas. i'll take one bioluminescent dino pet plz and thx. 

I WANT A GLOFISH RIGHT NOW.

GloFish, America’s first transgenic pets, are already on sale at Petco, PetSmart, and Walmart. Under a black light, the fish—which contain genes borrowed from jellyfish and sea coral—turn radiant, shining neon red, orange, and green. (via)

watch this amazing video about sea animalz

bioluminescense!

it's pretty much my favorite natural phenomenon ev, and also my answer to the what-super-power-would-you-want question. now, i'm not sure i totally understand this story, but here's the gist:

somewhere near tasmania, there was a buttload of fires caused by thunder and lightning that burned for 69 days. then came a 100-year-flood, washing all these weird ashes with crazy minerals into some lakes. the following summer, as the lake water heated up, an algae outbreak occurred, turning the water bright green. the best part: it was a new species!

and guess what! ........it was bioluminescent!!!!1111

the glowing is activated by motion, which makes it insanely fun to play in, i bet.

read the full story here, and look at a gallery of pixies here.

tennessee phenomenon

Happening right now, and for the next few days the Great Smoky Mountains of Tennessee will light up as P. Carolinus fireflies begin to blink in beautiful, astonishing unison. The fireflies, who can sense when their neighbor fireflies are flashing and attempt to flash before them, send waves of light to cascading down the Tennessee hillsides. One of the best spots to see them is in one small area, near the Little River Trailhead in Elkmont, TN.

In 1995, scientists confirmed the existence of the Great Smoky Mountain synchronized fireflies, and have subsequently discovered other populations in the Congaree Swamp in South Carolina and other high altitude locations in the Appalachian mountains. As this curious phenomenon remained undiscovered for years, it is quite possible that there are other varieties of fireflies blinking in unison throughout the United States, perhaps even in your own backyard. (boingboing)

other great resources

well, i never.

Meet Ruppy, the glow-in-the-dark puppy. The cloned beagle -- her full name is Ruby Puppy -- and four other pups glow because they have genetic information from sea anemones, a breakthrough scientists hope will help in the study of human diseases. The pups produce a protein that glows under ultraviolet light, New Scientist magazine reported yesterday. (nypost)

weekend movie roundup

i watched a lot of stuff this weekend, and i'd like to tell you how i felt about everything:

hunger:

intense, disturbing, unconventional, and beautiful...11 biscuits!!!!

synecdoche, new york:

looks good, doesn't it? well, if you like throwing hours of your life into the trashcan 2 at a time, then watch this movie! 0 biscuits!!! ;(

planet earth : deep ocean:
there was a PE marathon on discovery yesterday, and this one was always my favorite. i would do just about anything to have bioluminescence. 11 biscuits!!!

the assassination of jesse james by the cowardly robert ford:

this one's a couple of years old now, but i loved it when i saw it and watched it again on hbo this weekend. i recommend netflix-ing if you haven't seen it. casey affleck is real good, and there's also brad pitt. 11 biscuits!!!