Starfleet-xenobotanist - Plain And Simple Xeno

USA people! Buy NOTHING Feb 28 2025. Not anything. 24 hours. No spending. Buy the day before or after but nothing. NOTHING. February 28 2025. Not gas. Not milk. Not something on a gaming app. Not a penny spent. (Only option in a crisis is local small mom and pop. Nothing. Else.) Promise me. Commit. 1 day. 1 day to scare the shit out of them that they don't get to follow the bullshit executive orders. They don't get to be cowards. If they do, it costs. It costs.

Then, if you can join me for Phase 2. March 7 2025 thtough March 14 2025? No Amazon. None. 1 week. No orders. Not a single item. Not one ebook. Nothing. 1 week. Just 1.

If you live outside the USA boycott US products on February 28 2025 and stand in solidarity with us and also join us for the week of no Amazon.

Are you with me?

Spread the word.

Ghost plants pt 2 :)

shibari figurines by constant heaven

Meet the seven new frog species we just named after iconic Star Trek captains!

Artwork by A. Petzold, CC BY-ND 4.0

At the right time of year along rushing streams in the humid rainforests that stretch the length of Madagascar's eastern and northern mountain ridges, otherworldly trills of piercing whistles can be heard.

Are they birds? Insects? Communicator beeps? Tricorder noises?

No, they're little treefrogs!

Boophis janewayae. Photo by M. Vences, CC BY-SA 4.0

Until recently, we thought all of the populations of these little brown frogs across the island were one widespread species, Boophis marojezensis, described in 1994. But genetics in the early 2000s and 2010s showed that there were several species here, not just one.

Now my colleagues and I have shown that they are in fact eight separate species, each with unique calls!

These whistling sounds reminded us so much of Star Trek sound effects that we decided to name the seven new species after Star Trek captains: Boophis kirki, B. picardi, B. janewayae, B. siskoi, B. pikei, B. archeri, and B. burnhamae.

Photos of all new species described by Vences et al. 2024. CC BY-SA 4.0

I subtly and not-so-subtly built some Star Trek references into the paper, but probably the best one is this one:

'Finding these frogs sometimes requires considerable trekking; pursuing strange new calls, to seek out new frogs in new forests; boldly going where no herpetologist has gone before.'

— Vences et al. 2024

There’s a real sense of scientific discovery and exploration here, which we think is in the spirit of Star Trek.

Of course, it doesn't hurt that there are at least two Trekkies amongst the authors (including yours truly). As fans of Star Trek, we are also just pleased to dedicate these new species to the characters who have inspired and entertained us over the decades.

On a personal note, this marks a milestone for me, as it means I have now described over 100 frog species! I am very pleased that the 100th is Captain Janeway's Bright-eyed Frog, Boophis janewayae (if you count them in order of appearance in the paper)—she is probably my favourite captain, and I really love Star Trek: Voyager.

You can read more about the discovery of these new species on my website! You can also read the Open Access paper published in Vertebrate Zoology here.

Based on Cardassian views on the medical profession (female dominated) and arguing (whore behavior), I think Dukat should have been scandalized to have an alien twink doctor get snippy with him in order to get a blood screening from him.

"And I find you offensive." Okay, here's my arm, man. Whatever you say, beautiful. But I have a wife.

the lizard and the twink compel me. not just because of the chemistry and the drama and the banter

we have middle aged paranoid trauma queen. he's bitchy and mean and so so sad. he loves fashion and gardening and bombs. his father was reptile himmler. he was groomed to be a killer. he's sentimental and unable to be sincere. he tortured people until he couldn't stomach it anymore. he had a drug addiction that almost killed him. he's pathetic and a little creepy

we also have pretty boy himbo supergenius. he's kind and silly and so so angry. he loves tennis and playing dress-up and medical malpractice. he is dr. Frankenstein (on request only). he's idealistic and unable to live up to his own morals. he keeps dating his patients. he tortured a dying man with a mind probe. he was designed to be a legacy. he's horny and a little desperate

and you'd think they'd be an explosion of terror when they're together, but no. it implodes and fizzles out. they eat chocolates and discuss Shakespeare insincerely and probably cuddle. they just enjoy each other's company

they're still toxic and dysfunctional and a little off-putting to be around. they are everyone else's problem. they're dangerous tools to be wielded by others. but when they're together, they even each other out. and they just get to dysfunctionally function.

and I think that's beautiful

julian bashir stutters !!!

which yknow he was kinda upset about because he felt so dumb to people. he knew he was intelligent, but he just couldn’t articulate it in a way that other people could understand. he always paused during his sentences, letting his words catch up to his thoughts. tripped over words, tongue going to the next syllable before he even got to the first.

and when people hear those pauses and breaks, it’s like they forget about everything else. screw theoretical hyperbolic geometry applications to worldly development, it wouldn’t fucking matter if he mixed the words up.

but, it does hide him. hides him well. because no matter how smart you are, how enhanced or augmented, it doesn’t matter if you have a stutter.

I love when the star trek alien actors decide to give their characters traits that they personally think of as the respective alien species influence, because they never line up with other actors decisions. Like we have early seasons Nog, who has that very particular Ferengi accent and vocal rhythm, and then his uncle Quark shows up and he just sounds like a guy who owns a bowling alley. Garak, who moves in this strange reptilian fashion, has his eyes wide open, and then his dad shows up. And its like. Yeah thats just Paul Dooley. Hes not even acting thats just Paul Dooley right there. What we learn from this is that Garak is just a freak.