What is Coronasomnia? - Healthy Life 2

Katie Ruellia, blue and pink flowers

We all know “insomnia,” which affect on million people all over the world. In term of time length, there are two kinds of this sleep disorder:

1) Short term insomnia

- difficult to sleep from several days to weeks

2) Long term insomniacs

- difficult to sleep for months

Since Covid 19 pandemic, there is emerging a word called as “Coronasomnia.” Washington Post (September 3, 2020). Disorder is found in people who can not sleep for 5 months during pandemic.

The causes of Coronasomnia are varies, it could be such as:
- dismal of government response to the pandemic
- upset condition of love life.
- uncertain future
- don’t have clues to the end of pandemic crisis

Garage sales at our neighborhood, just for illustration.

Moreover, coronasomnia have devastating impact on public health problems, and lead to:
- low productivity
- heightened stress
- increase upset
- depression
- higher risk of hypertension.

Finally, do you experience Coronasomnia in recent days? Or during this Covid 19 pandemic?

The Amphibians Near Extinct due to Fungus Disease – Science 5

Fig 01- A garden décor frog

In recent years, Science, volume 363 (published in 29 March 2019) reported declining of amphibian population worldwide due to fungal disease.

Among amphibians affected by this disease are:

- frogs

- toads

- salamanders

- newts

- caecilians

The fungus also described as “supefungus.” The scientific name of fungus is Batrachochytrium dendrobatidis. This is a chytrid fungus, and then, disease is called as Chytridiomycosis.

Some symptoms of chytridiomycosis are following:

- convulsions

- lack of muscle control

- loss of appetite.

Fig 02- Magnolia blooming, just for illustration.

 

Fig 03- A little palm tree.

The fungus infects skin of frog or other amphibians, very painful, then causes:

- difficulty to breathe

- damage of nervous system.

- slowly kill amphibians

This fungal disease lead to decreasing about 30% of 501 amphibian species, include:

- almost extinction of 200 species

- extinction of 90 species

However, scientists have worked hard to prevent more devastation to amphibians population around the globe.

White Azaleas in the City Garden – Nature 5

White Azaleas are blooming

In one of entrances into city garden of Baton Rouge, LA, we will see white Azalea flowers.

February or March is blooming time for Azalea in our southern state areas. Our white azalea blooms in about 1 to 3 weeks only.

I think that 1 to 3 weeks is considered short period of blooming. Other flowers have longer period of blooming.

As suggested by David Beaulieu (2020, published in the Spruce), some long bloom periods flowers are:

- Coneflower, about two months

- Shasta daisy, around 5 weeks

- Ice plant, 4 weeks

- Lavender, 3 to 4 weeks

- Garden Phlox, 6 weeks

- Russian Sage, last to 15 weeks

Close up white Azaleas

Actually, we have red azaleas in our backyard, and many of my neighbors have grows variety of Azalea.

At early stage, we just need little work such as:

- watering

- pruning

- fertilizing

- give cover during cold seasons.

Then, maintenance is easy. This flower is not considered as high maintenance plant.   

Can Scientists Create Glowing Plants? - Science 4

Succulent plants, just for illustration.

Before I answer the question: Can Scientists Create Glowing Plants? Let’s see the facts.

There are plenty of luminescence fungi In the forest across America and Asia. It is estimated at least 70 species of this kind of fungi.

Some mushroom that are glowing at night (Anna Noris, 2020):

- Panellus stipticus

- Panellus pusillus

- Armillaria mellea

- Armillaria gallica

- Mycena chlorophos

- Mycena luxaeterna

- Mycena haematopus

- Omphalotus illudens

- Omphalotus olearius

Some mushrooms that glowing in the dark 

(credit to Treehugger / Julie Bang)

Now, scientists have an idea to create glowing plants as well. The scientists come from these 3 following countries:

- United Kingdom

- Russia

- Austria.

DNA from mushroom then inserted into plants. Plants produce bioluminescence due to “a billion photons” per 60 seconds.

So, yes, Scientists can create glowing Plants. Then, what is purpose to create glowing plants?

The answer is that to produce the ornament plants, include glowing flowers for commercial, sold in the markets.

We may have these kind of plants and flowers in our houses in the near coming future.

Rediscovering of Rare Blue Bee in Florida in 2020 – Science 3

Bee swarm, just for illustration.

The blue bee was first noticed in Florida in 2011, then scientists identified its with scientific name as Osmia calaminthae.

However, the blue bee was disappeared in 2016. Many scientists believed that Osmia calaminthae was extincted.

Surprisingly, the blue bee was rediscovered in the same areas where its was gone.

This bee consumes pollen and nectar from a violet flower, well known as Ashe’s calamint or Ashe's savory.

The flower is a wild flower in Florida with a scientific name Calamintha ashei. Other species of Calamintha are:

- Calamintha georgiana, Georgia calamint

- Calamintha dentata, the toothed savory.

Unfortunately, Ashe’s calamint flower is a Florida endemic, and listed as threatened species of the state.

Flowers blooming, just for illustration

Yes, Osmia calaminthae is very extreme rare species, but genus Osmia has at least 350 different species which can be found worldwide.

Many of these 350 species are common species, to be critical role in natural pollination.

10 examples of species from genus Osmia are following:

- Osmia bicornis

- Osmia caerulescens

- Osmia cornifrons

- Osmia cornuta

- Osmia atriventris

- Osmia avosetta

- Osmia latreillei

- Osmia inermis

- Osmia lignaria

- Osmia ribifloris

Sources: Several readings include Smithsonian Magazine (2020) and CNN (2020).

How Many Animals Are Expected to Extinct by 2050? - Nature 4

A wild duck in the city lake

Based on my own experienced that the number of birds decreased dramatically in my backyard in the last 7 years.

We did not observe red belly woodpeckers at all in the last couple years. Other birds not seen or very rare to show up in our garden:

- blue jay

- Mourning dove

- Carolina wren

- Carolina chickadee

- Northern Mockingbird 

- American Crow

- other migratory birds

In fact, a scientist from UK as reported by Guardian (2004) and supported by the United Nation report (UN, 2019) estimated 1 million species will extinct by 2050.

Then, there are a lot of lists of animals will be disappeared in the very near future worldwide. 

A Canadian geese on the side of lake

Top 10 animals expected to extinct soon are (Newsweek, 2020):

- Sumatran Rhino

- Lange's Metalmark Butterfly

- Māui dolphin

- Red Wolf

- Kauai Akepa

- Chinese Pangolin

- Attwater's Prairie Chicken

- Florida Grasshopper Sparrow

- Vaquita

- Alabama Sturgeon

Who is the main actor as the greatest threat to survival of animals?

The absolute answer is human being!

What human being had done to contribute to lead to depletion of species? Here they are:

- pouching

- destruction of habitats

- burning fossil fuel which cause climate changes.

So sad!!

Paris in the Eyes of Vincent Van Gogh - Art 1

Street in Montmartre, Paris, Painted by Van Gogh (1887)

We might know that Vincent Van Gogh, a Dutch painter lived in several places in France:

- Auvers-sur-Oise
- Saint- Remy- de- Provence
- Arles
- Paris

Living in Paris was crucial for Van Gogh in respect to paintings, both number and quality of paintings.

Van Gogh produced about 224 painting during his two years, from March 1886 to February 1888, lived in Paris. Some of his paintings:

- Street in Montmartre, 1887
- Outskirt of Paris, 1886
- Vase with flowers, 1886
- View of Paris from near Montmartre, 1886
- View of the roof of Paris, 1886.

Outskirt of Paris, Painted by Van Gogh (1886).

One of his painting, Street in Montmartre, not shown for public since 1920, about 100 years.

This painting, then exhibited recently in cities of:

- London
- Amsterdam
- Paris

Some of us might wonder why Van Gogh has no paintings of Eiffel Tower? These following facts lead to answer:

- Van Gogh lived in Paris from March 1886 to February 1888
- Eiffel tower was built in 1887, and completed in 1889

Do you love Van Gogh’s paintings?

Why?