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Tuesday, August 25, 2015

Partial Ellipsis of the Sun's 100th Post: Lichen it to a Litmus Test

     Today's post is inspired by the discovery that the dyes used in litmus paper are derived from lichen. I'd lichen that to paronomasic perfection (thanks SuperZee) for our 100th week. 


      Gadzooks! That must mean Partial Ellipsis of the Sun's two-year anniversary is just around the corner. 


     "Litmus" is derived from Old Norse lit-mosi, from litr "dye" + mosi "moss." Litmus paper is one of the things I have used but never investigated its origin, via either the word origin or the actual compounds.

        A variety of lichen such as this one, Roccella tinctoria, a relatively bland-looking organism that is a combination of algae or cyanobacteria (or both) living among a fungus in a symbiotic relationship,


and contains the compounds to make the colorful dark-purplish, red, and blue dyes used in litmus powder (the compounds are used also for dyeing rugs and fabrics).


        A brief refresher of high school chemistry: The pH scale ranges from 0 (a strong acid which turns blue litmus paper red) to 7 (neutral) to 14 (a strong base which turns red litmus paper blue).



        pH, which stands for potential Hydrogen, can actually be measured more accurately with a pH meter or pH paper giving more specific numbers all along the logarithmic pH scale from 0 to 14.


     
        In politics, of course, a litmus test is a question asked of a potential candidate for high office, the answer to which would determine whether the nominating official would proceed with the appointment or nomination.

         Sadly, we cannot dip politicians in lichen to determine their pHenomenal true and honest answers to critical questions.


      At least, not yet.

        I'll stick to chemistry. And geology. And biology. And physics. And astronomy. . .I lichen these topics much more (magnified lichen below):



      Thanks very much for your support these past nearly two years to the pHilosophy and pHun that is "Partial Ellipsis of the Sun."

        I truly appreciate your being my litmus test for interesting, inspiring, controversial, funny, and paronomasic topics.

 pHinally and gratefully,
StepH ;-)




     I can only stay focused on the lichen on the rock for so long. . .Here's some sandstone from today's walk. You can almost hear the wind blowing. . .


     











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63 comments:

  1. legolambdaAugust 25, 2015 at 11:24 PM

    Steph,
    Megacongrats on your hundrepH PEOTS! And your impending second anniversary of PEOTS! Looking forward to 200 and beyond, Buzz Light-year-Sleigh-Tray!

    (Sorry, but this momentous occasion deserves exaltat!ons of excla!mat!on po!ntsiii... and larks.)

    And PEOTS is indeed a lark... a lark with spark and bite and aMaizeing bark! You can really sink your canines into and savor the content here. Every week without fail.

    By the way, the litmussy subject of your 100th PEOTS reminded me of my first Puzzleria! and, especially, the second puzzle I posted there titled "Major League Litmus Test."

    LegoLambda(akaJosepH)

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Word WomanAugust 26, 2015 at 12:00 AM

      Thanks, JosepH! I appreciate every ! in your post. . .

      Litmussy--now there's a word!

      I remember well your alkaline puzzle. I found it here.

      Delete
  2. Word WomanAugust 26, 2015 at 12:02 AM

    By the way, I know a teenaged boy named Lichen. (Really!).

    ReplyDelete
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    1. legolambdaAugust 26, 2015 at 12:54 AM

      Steph,

      Lichen, eh? Guess that does not surprise me. Regarding your 12:07 AM comment, below: I prefer big yellow taxis to red cabbage.

      LegoOops!RedCabbageIsBetterForYouThanBigYellowTaxis,ratS!

      Delete
    2. Word WomanAugust 26, 2015 at 8:58 PM

      And Lichen is about to take a bunch of (litmus) tests before deciding on a college. . .

      Delete
  3. Word WomanAugust 26, 2015 at 12:07 AM

    More research: is the same compound found in red cabbage as in lichen? Making red cabbage paper is an easy alternative to expensive litmus strips made from lichen dye. For tomorrow. . .

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Word WomanAugust 26, 2015 at 8:30 AM

      Anthocyanins are in red cabbage. Erythrolitmin (or erythrolein), azolitmin, spaniolitmin, leucoorcein, and leucazolitmin are in lichens.

      The Netherlands is one of the major places where litmus lichen are grown.

      Delete
    2. janAugust 26, 2015 at 10:53 AM

      Anthocyanins appear in other fruits and vegetables as well, e.g., blueberry, blackberry, cranberry, raspberry, eggplant, Concord grape, etc. There's no law that says you have to use cabbage. Except for Cole's Law....

      Delete
    3. Word WomanAugust 26, 2015 at 11:17 AM

      Yes, indeed, but why waste perfectly good (and more expensive) blueberries, blackberries, cranberries, raspberries, eggplant, or Concord grapes to make acid-base testing papers?!

      And I would miss that pungent red cabbage stewing smell to boot. . .

      Delete
    4. Word WomanAugust 26, 2015 at 9:01 PM

      Apparently the new "cool" IS "coleslaw." As in "Wow, he is really coleslaw!"

      Gotta trust Urban Dictionary online, right?!

      Delete
    5. PaulAugust 27, 2015 at 1:01 AM

      Cole's Law:
      It is the law that, when dining out, either one person will eat everyone's cole slaw, or nobody eats the cole slaw at all.

      You eat my coleslaw? I drink your milkshake!

      Delete
    6. Word WomanAugust 27, 2015 at 8:39 AM

      Paul, the coleslaw eating seemed kind of voluntary in Urban Dictionary, but ok. ;-)

      Did you say Coal's Law? Oh, . . .never mind. . .

      Delete
    7. Word WomanAugust 27, 2015 at 12:32 PM

      NVM Miss her humour.

      Delete
  4. PaulAugust 26, 2015 at 2:13 AM

    If an ant crawls across a lichen, what color trail does it leave?

    Why did the ant cross the lichen, anyway?

    Seriously, I thought you might find this interesting. I could see myself voting 10x/day for a certain Poodle/Bichon Frise/???.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Word WomanAugust 26, 2015 at 8:07 AM

      OK, Paul, why?

      Maizie May and the Denver Dumb Friends League is out there. I am happy to support rescue organizations like the DDFL. They do wonderful work.

      Merci!

      Delete
  5. janAugust 26, 2015 at 3:27 AM

    Congrats on your 100th blog post! It's been fun participating.

    ReplyDelete
  6. DavidAugust 26, 2015 at 10:46 AM

    Here are my bear stories that you asked for that I never got around to last week. Sorry for the delay, but it gives me a chance to say congratulations on 100.

    First, late 1950s, I was camping with my parents and brothers in Northwest Pennsylvania. Every night at dusk, bears would go to one side of the campground garbage dump, the campers on the other, with park rangers with guns between. Very different from the current do not feed the bears.

    Second, Olympic National Park in Washington, about 1990, backpacking with my wife and friends, a bear crosses the trail about 50 meters in front of us, from an open field up into a wooded area. We wait for several minutes, nothing happens, so we proceed, although we can hear the bear in the woods above us.

    Third, many of my in-laws and I went to Brooks Camp in Katmai National Park, pretty much a described in the article (sorry, I couldn't get the link to work) here (http://www.nytimes.com/2015/08/09/travel/alaska-brown-bears-katmai-national-park.html). The first thing you do is take a class in case you come across a bear. Less than 5 minutes out of the meeting, on our way to the viewing area, a bear runs about 10 meters in front of us, and my sister-in-law screams and jumps back (instead of the recommended keep quiet and stand still). I would recommend the trip, given that you have the time and money for it.

    Fourth, back in Alaska, we went to Denali, where there is a designated food storage and cooking area, where everyone in the campground is required to keep all food and food-like (toothpaste, for example) items. No bears there, it was too early in the season for ripe berries. After Denali, my wife and I met up with some of the same in-laws and spent a night in a bed and breakfast. The night before, a mother bear (with cubs) had raided a case of beer left out on the porch, so the state(?) set out a trap to catch the bear. Instead, they caught the cubs, which made the mother extremely upset. Let’s just say it did not end well for the bears.

    Fifth, Glacier National Park, my wife and I were just finishing a day hike. We had been talking most of the day, but were quiet at the time. The trail went from one wooded area to another through an open field. As we got to the field, a mother bear saw us from about 75 meters. She made her cub climb a tree and stood under the tree, watching us and snorting. We just waited a little bit and proceeded along the trail, which fortunately was away from the bear.

    Sixth and final, my wife and I were at Yosemite National Park, where every night bears wandered around the campgrounds, mostly doing no harm. At least one night, a bear ran right past our tent. We could feel the ground shake. There was one family with a camper, who decided to thaw a roast on their dashboard. A bear broke the windshield and stole the roast. I believe they were both fined and removed from the campground.

    I have also run several “Bare Buns Fun Runs” on mountain trails outside of Seattle. More bares there than in any prior encounter.

    ReplyDelete
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    1. Word WomanAugust 26, 2015 at 11:01 AM

      Thanks for the good wishes, David.

      Great stories though there was a long bearless stretch between the late '50's and the '90s. Glad you are making up for it with lots of bear and bare stretches since.

      Thawing a roast on your dashboard in bear country--Now I have heard everything!

      Oh, are you in Seattle having any effects from the wildfires to your west and south? The air here in Denver has been acrid (though the particulates have created some gorgeous sunsets and sunrises this week).

      Delete
    2. Word WomanAugust 26, 2015 at 11:02 AM

      ^^^ east and south, of course

      Delete
    3. janAugust 26, 2015 at 11:11 AM

      If you have too much time on your hands, or if you think all Canadians are as sane as the ones you've met, you could watch Project Grizzly, which I was surprised to find available for free streaming or download from the National Film Board of Canada. It was a favorite of my son and his friends when they were teens.

      Delete
    4. DavidAugust 26, 2015 at 11:23 AM

      When the wind was from the east last weekend, we had some pretty sunrises, along with hazy skies. The haze, along with a vague odor of burning wood, was particularly notable on Saturday evening when I was at Safeco Field watching the Mariners.

      The winds are back from the west and nothing is noticeable now. The forecast is for rain (finally) starting Friday through the following Wednesday.

      Delete
    5. legolambdaAugust 26, 2015 at 11:56 AM

      David,
      I loved your bear tales. You oughta write a book. must admit, however, I was awaiting your Jellystone story.

      LegoYogiWasAHoneyBearBooBoo

      Delete
    6. Word WomanAugust 26, 2015 at 12:04 PM

      David, thanks for the scoop on your skies. We expect a good, clearing rain here Thursday.

      jan, the "Project Grizzly" movie looks like fun. I noted the grizzly armor received an Ig Nobel Prize. Lego, weren't we just talking about magnetics and frogs?

      Delete
  7. Word WomanAugust 26, 2015 at 3:36 PM

    Women in science on the 95th anniversary of the passage of the 19th amendment to the U. S. Constitution.

    Hard to believe it has been only 95 years of women voting in the U.S.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Word WomanAugust 26, 2015 at 3:42 PM

      Marie Tharp, who is mentioned in the attached article and who is a geologist who created the first map of the seafloor (with Bruce Heezen) was born in 1920, 95 years ago. . .

      Delete
  8. janAugust 26, 2015 at 6:05 PM

    The other day, a Facebook friend shared this video, which I thought was pretty silly, with a comment along the lines of "Save the Humans", which I thought was sillier. Thus provoked, I responded:

    Why? How do you feel about the environmental catastrophe that wiped out the dinosaurs, who had been dominant for 135 million years? If not for that disaster, mammals, including humans, never would have had a chance. 66 million years from now, whoever is at the top of the food chain, if they're sentient, will be similarly grateful for the Sixth Great Extinction that we're now causing. It's interesting that this video includes almost no images of animals, but lots of pictures of plants, the first great ecosystem despoilers, responsible for the Oxygen Holocaust that destroyed Earth's natural reducing atmosphere, wiping out all the life forms that depended on it.

    Was I unduly harsh?

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Word WomanAugust 26, 2015 at 6:19 PM

      No.

      Delete
    2. PaulAugust 27, 2015 at 1:16 AM

      I kinda liked the video.

      A bit derivative, perhaps.

      Delete
    3. PaulAugust 27, 2015 at 1:30 AM

      "Save the Humans" or "Save Sentience"? Reminds me of Windtalkers. I may be off on my own trajectory here.

      Delete
    4. Word WomanAugust 27, 2015 at 7:46 AM

      It's not nice to fuel Mother Nature?

      Delete
  9. PaulAugust 27, 2015 at 1:51 AM

    Wonder what this

    https://googleads.g.doubleclick.net/aclk?sa=l&ai=CON9nCcDeVcvHEIuL3AHq9ojACu-xwPUGx4rvxYoCqNCTmEMQASCh0bMjKARgyfamjNCk5A-gAaWsn_0DyAEBqAMByAPDBKoE5wFP0PAIWfYQLyQ_2OcjZRy0ySUPrKTXJlyRFCd5BXqm0jVe9JHaSrbao9JOK5MKAaBY2AxXFbeFuH_-y1djvC5zgxd7y75utkIAob755d5JSlf-RA1vS3-ZNv8OJleJyUX1buL3cwiNvHryuGd50Q2UVyeAHMkXZb-neZnk2CRJkVn4cVl2h7zlhNVkL4hA3ezq4XYqTz8G1yDICMk_Z22LexoVs8sK2qZYKFVbQG52xhm9F5SbKB1dW4egmXtYsBQS6mX6iEa2odHdPLsY2XUZhiI9GESfjrCqg1QGEtLuxbM6WN0H_hGAB8PT4AKoB6a-G9gHAQ&num=1&sig=AOD64_3CQ3IthnELNQqVHl7T_JkdIBD5sA&client=ca-pub-1261848207620972&adurl=http://www.coleparmer.com/%3Freferred_id%3D21332&nm=10&mb=2&bg=!wcJEaIknzn1MjxkCAAAD-VIAAADYKgEFipB03WXseU3ReP5OsZvYszUSWCo1Nrt070FRSUeYo5i8-Ey0wMXGLOyAzoljr0bQm5zgs3UoawZwm7aqsSvV3qNY3KIgHES21mBX7dGncvh5bLAzjnRi0A_E7D2FCBI-ItZPylXm06IgYkH7nrUqyo9pRla_bqMaFfIWywIAg5z2K5hKqgRlKdO5kDZP_UMwZ6NHPOV_8FG0NH5e-wcQOrEpQzuxFmj85thQ6LuLgAJLnt31t9_ow-b6OuiWRKtYH4NRoYU50-icjOguAzFc4nVyvo9-wGUNB3Jqk0SrMyKoDq1yz2aIoSeAg_pH6cU2Wa6VNopE00AAaapIL6moMiznCwq5

    was doing on this page?

    ReplyDelete
  10. Word WomanAugust 27, 2015 at 7:50 AM

    Meter, meter, pumpkin eater?

    ReplyDelete
  11. Word WomanAugust 27, 2015 at 3:50 PM

    2.75 inches in 22 years. That's just since Zoë was born. . .

    Again, close to 3 inches since 1993!

    ReplyDelete
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    1. Word WomanAugust 27, 2015 at 8:47 PM

      Above I have added an image of the Lyons Formation Sandstone, 280 million years old, the ultimate Throw Back Thursday image ;-). It is a rock. This, however, is NOT a rock!

      Delete
  12. janAugust 28, 2015 at 9:37 AM

    I was biking after work the other day, when the dim bulb upstairs flickered on. Last week, I discovered that RF emissions from my new, brighter LED headlight were interfering with my wireless cyclocomputer. Well, remember back in March, right after the Pi Day of the Century, when I was complaining about my odometer reading low, and wondering about calculating the circumference of a partly flattened tire? What if my old, less bright LED headlight was putting out RF that mostly let the signals from the magnetic sensor get through, but blocked maybe 1% or 2% of them?

    So today, an experiment: I did my usual Great Swamp ride with my headlight off. And on a measured half mile segment, which two weeks ago read 0.48 miles on my odometer, it now read ... 0.49 miles. Meh! Not impressed. (Of course, if I had an NSF grant, or tenure, or my academic career riding on the results, I might have reported them differently.)

    It's a little ironic that I was tripped up by RFI again. Over 20 years ago, long before my Weekend Edition Lapel Pin, I had my first 15 minutes of fame when I appeared on Eye-to-Eye with Connie Chung. This was back when people were worried about the new-fangled cell phones interefering with medical equipment, aircraft instruments, etc. I had been participating in an early online forum on such things, and wondered whether the walkie-talkies that first responders use could interfere with the automatic external defibrillators that were just becoming available. So I did an experiment: I hooked one of my squads AEDs up to a test unit that produced various cardiac waveforms, to make sure the AED shocked the shockable rhythms and didn't shock the unshockable ones. After pressing the button to start the AED rhythm analysis, I keyed up my walkie-talkie. And, that caused the device to fail to recognize a shockable rhythm. Someone from Eye-to-Eye was working with an industry expert who told them about my posting, and they contacted me, and filmed a demonstration of the experiment in the back of one of our ambulances. The segment aired on December 1, 1994. I have only a poor-quality VHS tape that I recorded off the air over the crummy TV antenna on my roof, which we used until, for some reason, it stopped receiving a signal 14 days shy of 14 years ago

    ReplyDelete
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    1. janAugust 28, 2015 at 12:29 PM

      Curious: I just had lunch with an old friend from Bell Labs, the one who's married to the sister of one of the members of the in-house band for NPR's Morning Edition this past Tuesday, Yo La Tengo,which is Spanish for "I've got it", which is what Betty Boop's Grampy always yelled when he put on his Thinking Cap and got an idea, causing the light to go on (see link above).

      Delete
    2. Word WomanAugust 28, 2015 at 2:29 PM

      Natch, wish we could see you wowing Connie Chung with your experiments, jan. I just listened to the NPR take on the Reproducibility Project and saw your link to the NY Times article when I came back from day 1 with this year's kindergarten group.

      "Tales from the Great Swamp:" your new memoirs?

      Morning Edition has an in-house band?

      Delete
    3. janAugust 28, 2015 at 2:39 PM

      I never met Connie. Some Googling reveals the producer of that segment was Roberta Baskin.

      Morning Edition doesn't usually have an in-house band, but they did on Tuesday. Whenever someone refers to Georgia Hubley and Ira Kaplan by their first names, I think Gershwin.

      Delete
    4. Word WomanAugust 28, 2015 at 3:03 PM

      Gotcha. I remember my dad taking a picture of the TV screen when my family was on a local segment in the early '80's. Probably worse than your poor VHS tape. . .

      Georgia and Ira! Saul and I had an interesting conversation about the State of Israel this morning. Saul is 5.

      Delete
  13. PaulAugust 30, 2015 at 12:36 AM

    I like dropping acetic acid on French fries.
    And if a little drips onto the Formica, just wipe it off. No big deal.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Word WomanAugust 30, 2015 at 6:54 AM

      Uh oh. Earworm. . ."Pepper, pepper, pepper, salt. . ."

      Delete
  14. Word WomanAugust 30, 2015 at 7:02 AM

    aging, amnesia, color, deafness, dreams, ferns, Freud, hallucinations, neural Darwinism, phantom limbs, photography, pre-Columbian history, swimming and twins.

    ReplyDelete
  15. Word WomanAugust 31, 2015 at 3:23 PM

    de novo genes.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. janAugust 31, 2015 at 7:11 PM

      How is this different from the integration of plasmids or viral DNA?

      Delete
    2. Word WomanAugust 31, 2015 at 9:40 PM

      jan, I am wading into fairly unfamiliar territory here but to me it doesn't seem different. In researching this I did find some interesting stuff (new to me) about the role of viruses in pregnancy, especially in the creation of the placenta in mammals. There are always more questions with such a question. . .

      Delete
  16. janSeptember 1, 2015 at 6:47 AM

    I think this is brilliant!

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Word WomanSeptember 1, 2015 at 8:59 AM

      Wow, why didn't we think of that?!

      Delete
    2. janSeptember 1, 2015 at 5:03 PM

      We're not going to like the obvious answer to that question....

      Delete
  17. Word WomanSeptember 2, 2015 at 9:14 AM

    Just in case you can't be there live. This year the festival is now "officially" mainstream in its livestream 24/7. . .and no longer coleslaw.

    New post coming later today.

    ReplyDelete
  18. Word WomanSeptember 2, 2015 at 10:46 AM

    Fascinating stuff and cool pictures about the resurveying of Denali in Alaska: - 10 feet .

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. janSeptember 2, 2015 at 10:56 AM

      Now that we're no longer in denial about the name, which is now alined with what Alaskans and Athabaskans have been calling it all along, and now that they've nailed its true height....

      With the weight of all those melting glaciers gone, why isn't Denali getting taller, instead of nominally shorter?

      Delete
    2. janSeptember 2, 2015 at 11:03 AM

      And now that we've got McKinley off Denali, how about getting McClintock on the $10? (Though, given Hamilton's significance to the US Federal Reserve Bank, and the hit Broadway show, maybe we should keep him and get bloody, bloody Andrew Jackson off the $20?)

      Delete
    3. Word WomanSeptember 2, 2015 at 11:36 AM

      All those anagrams from someone whose name is not anagrammable! Unless you go by "el jan." Then you could be "anjel."

      I would support Barbara McClintock on the $10 bill. . .and getting Andrew Jackson off the $20 bill. Susan B. Anthony, Margaret Sanger, Eleanor Roosevelt, Harriet Tubman, Sojourner Truth--so many great choices.

      Delete
    4. legolambdaSeptember 2, 2015 at 5:59 PM

      jan,
      Great example of coherent anagramming... but do go going all Will Shortz on us!

      Steph, Thanks for the great Burning Man live stream link.
      Awaiting the new PEOTS.

      LegoBarneyCalledAndyANJ(SeeThe0:13Mark)

      Delete
    5. Word WomanSeptember 2, 2015 at 6:09 PM

      Thanks Lego. The dust storm going on at the playa now is quite intense.

      I am working on "Cryptobiotic Soil Crusts: Take Nothing but Photographs and Don't Leave Even Footprints!"

      Delete
    6. legolambdaSeptember 2, 2015 at 6:29 PM

      ...DON'T go going all Will Shortz on us!!

      LegoOneWillShortzIsEnough(ButWeCouldUseMorejans)

      Delete
    7. Word WomanSeptember 2, 2015 at 6:32 PM

      Too late, Lego. jan's gone all WS on us already (and it's all your doing!) ;-)

      Delete
    8. janSeptember 2, 2015 at 6:35 PM

      Funny, "Anj" is what I and my wife and her sister always call their brother, Andrew. Never realized we were anagrams-in-law.

      Delete
    9. Word WomanSeptember 2, 2015 at 6:42 PM

      Anagrams-in-law -- ah ha!

      Delete
  19. janSeptember 2, 2015 at 2:33 PM

    You know, I was walking in the woods the other day, and I thought it looked like there were more trees than I'd thought there were....

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Word WomanSeptember 2, 2015 at 2:46 PM

      Can see the trees for the forest?

      Fall trunk show. Treatise on Trees.

      . . .

      Delete
  20. Word WomanSeptember 2, 2015 at 7:10 PM

    The new post is up!

    ReplyDelete

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