Swiss Cheese Holes Caused By Hay Dust

Have you noticed fewer holes in your Swiss cheese over the years?  Apparently this cheese (also known as Emmental cheese overseas - something I accidentally discovered for myself on residency in Iceland) had a lot of holes because small particles of hay dust used to regularly drift their way into the milk in the normal course of farming.  Our increasingly industrialized processes sterilized the cheesemaking environment so much that the holes have been mysteriously disappearing.  Now that the cause has been discovered, though, cheesemakers can judiciously add hay dust back into the milk.

Pretty Little Spider on My Hoya Compacta

This attractive fellow wasn't too pleased with being photographed, but finally held still long enough to snap a clear shot.  I'm a big fan of the various spiders that make their homes in my garden since they eat harmful insects like mosquitoes.  Plus, look at that patterning!

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An Orchid That Grows Entirely Underground

Rhizanthella gardneri, the Western Underground Orchid, is a critically endangered plant native to Australia that spends its entire life cycle, including blooming, underground.  It was discovered after a gardener noticed a sweet smell and a crack in the ground so he started digging.

This Man Is a Fantastic Human Being

His name is Simon Cowell, but he's my preferred Simon Cowell and not the more famous one.  You should check out the whole YouTube playlist of his foundation's animal rescues, but here's one that summarizes how amazing he and the other workers at the Wildlife Aid Foundation are.  

Aphids Are Born Pregnant (Unless They're Not Born At All...)

Did you know that most aphids are born pregnant?  I was thinking about this odd fact since my sempervivum collection (colloquially known as Hen and Chicks) had an aphid infestation due in part to the unusually wet late spring here in Kansas.  Luckily, neem oil has so far discouraged the little ladies from successfully hatching their next two generations.  Below is a close-up of one the several sempervivum species I'm keeping in a rail planter on my porch.

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Animals Now Recognized as Sentient under New Zealand Law

Well done, New Zealand.

First Fully Warm-Blooded Fish Identified!

This is cool:

"The opah, or moonfish, is the first known fully warm-blooded fish, according to a study published in the journal Science.
...
Certain other fish, such as some sharks and tuna, have what’s known as 'regional endothermy,' or limited warm-bloodedness. It allows them to stay active in colder depths, as well as shallower waters. But the fully warm-blooded opah are unlike all other fish, at least so far as we know it."