infinity-imagined:

Coccolithophores are single celled eukaryotic phytoplankton that synthesize intricate exoskeletons from crystals of calcium carbonate.  The functions of these coccoliths are unknown, and may include buoyancy, osmotic regulation, protection from UV light, predation, or mechanical shock.  When nutrient and light conditions are optimal, coccolithophores can form massive plankton blooms that are visible from space.  Large numbers of these organisms can accumulate on the ocean floor forming chalk deposits such as the White Cliffs of Dover. 

(Source: ina.tmsoc.org)

s-c-i-guy:

Great Physicists and their Blackboards

(Source: sciencephoto.com)

startswithabang:

Mostly Mute Monday: A final view from the Moon

“From December 11th to the 14th, 1972, astronauts Gene Cernan and Harrison Schmitt set foot on the lunar surface, becoming the last two human beings to do so as part of the Apollo program.”

It’s been nearly 43 years since humans have set foot on the Moon, and yet we’ve never forgotten what it looks like. Yet nothing that anyone can describe — either about what it was like or what we’ve done while we were there — can take the place of what our final, highest-at-the-time resolution views can tell us. Go experience the whole thing for yourself.