Purity and goodness 🤍💧

As children, we were asked which color we liked more: black or white. I chose black simply because I liked the color. Another child chose white, explaining that it represents purity and goodness. Interestingly, this person often acted in a scheming and spiteful manner, contrary to the symbolism of white.

This personal anecdote taught me that choosing a symbol doesn’t always reflect a person’s true values or behavior. Psychologically, it is known that there can be a significant gap between self-perception and actual behavior. Honesty and authenticity in self-expression are more important than striving for an idealized image.

I’m skeptical when someone claims they never lie or act toxic. Studies show that a strong emphasis on moral purity can sometimes indicate a distorted self-perception or even inner conflict. People who idealize themselves or fail to recognize their mistakes often struggle with personal growth, as they are less likely to engage in self-reflection and self-improvement.

Such people can strain relationships and undermine trust in their sincerity. Authenticity and the ability to admit mistakes and learn from them are crucial for personal and interpersonal development. Authenticity fosters deeper connections and greater trust within relationships.

Everyone has some narcissistic traits, and a healthy level of self-love is important. However, on social media, people often share oversimplified, polarizing opinions, promoting toxic positivity that ignores negative feelings and weaknesses. Toxic positivity, as defined by scholars, involves dismissing negative emotions and responding to distress with false reassurances rather than empathy.

Those who claim to have no narcissistic traits often seem inauthentic and are more likely to display toxic-narcissistic behavior. Authenticity means admitting one’s own flaws and weaknesses. Those who are open about their imperfections show a healthier attitude towards themselves and others, which is essential for genuine self-esteem and growth.

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Loki: "Nothing to eat? You are of no interest. 😒"

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Dakota is the only one of my animal roommates who would most likely never snap or bite. But because he's a snake, people are afraid. A 2008 study showed that the sight of a snake silhouette triggers stress in babies as young as 8 to 14 months old. So it's not something learned, but innate. Other studies have confirmed similar reactions in non-human primates. But the stress reaction does not automatically lead to a fear of snakes. As early as the 1980s, it was recognized that rhesus monkeys only react fearfully to snakes after they have observed it in other monkeys. It was an advantage for our ancestors to be able to recognize a snake quickly and react immediately. For one thing, venomous snakes pose a danger, and for another, our ancestors were also natural prey for giant snakes. But Dakota is just a harmless corn snake that strangles its prey.😇

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Bruce checks the situation 👀 There are a lot of crickets running around... Maybe one will jump into his mouth. 🛎🦗

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These are the oldest handwritten notes from one of my ancestors. It was my great-great-great-grandfather who recorded the birth of my great-great-grandmother Margarete's eldest sister Magdalena in July 1815. The notes continued until 1882. In 1877, for example, the birth of my great-grandmother Katharina was recorded. It was written in a family Bible, and the writing is Kurrent script - an old form of German-language handwriting based on late medieval cursive writing. Thanks to artificial intelligence, I have now managed to decipher all of the notes and can add to my family tree.

Because it was a patriarchal system, the male heads of the family usually kept important records. I don't know his name, but it says "22. Julius was born our Magdalena. The newborn child is a female." (orig.: "22. Julius ist unsere Magdalena zur Welt geboren. Das neugeborene Kind ist eine Weibsperson.") so I know that the author was also a parent of my great-great-grandmother Margarete in 1830.

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🥳 I'm officially 38 years old now! 👾

It's clear that you find me creepy. But I'm not a robot and I'm not a vampire. I owe my irresistible, everlasting youth to chocolate and cheesecake.🥧 And to my sunflower mentality.🌻🌞

The picture shows me in my 1999 version in the children's home. And the other in my 2024 version on my daily walk through exciting adult life. In both photos you would see the same smile, in the second one the shutter just took too long...

I hope you all live to be as old as me - it's absolutely worth it! 🫠✨️

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Should I stay at home or go to a rave? We all know the feeling when a certain position feels just right. Bruce, in keeping with the natural nature of leopard geckos, probably just happened to get into this exact position and stayed like that for a few minutes. If you see your animals doing things like this frequently, you should be careful. It could indicate weakness, for example due to illness. But Bruce is in great shape and probably just appreciated the relaxed moment. The photo is a few months old and shows him shortly after moving into the newly furnished terrarium.

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Please put something sweet here! 😒

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Seeing in the Dark and the Green: How Eyes and Leaves Share a Lighty Secret

The world of biology reveals surprising connections, and the human eye and a seemingly ordinary leaf share a fascinating one. Both organs rely on sophisticated light-sensing mechanisms to function effectively in their environments, despite their vastly different purposes.

Within the human eye, the retina houses two crucial photoreceptor cell types: rods and cones. Rods, responsible for low-light vision, utilize rhodopsin, a specialized protein, to capture even the faintest light signals. Cones, responsible for color vision, rely on various forms of iodopsin to differentiate colors in bright light conditions. Both rhodopsin and iodopsin function by undergoing a shape change upon encountering light, triggering a biochemical cascade that ultimately translates light energy into electrical signals the brain interprets as vision.

Plants exhibit a similar strategy. Nestled within their leaves lies phytochrome, a remarkable molecule that, like its counterparts in the eye, acts as a light receptor. Phytochrome exists in several states depending on the specific wavelengths of light it absorbs. By sensing variations in light intensity and spectrum, phytochrome provides the plant with vital information about its surrounding environment. This information plays a critical role in processes like photosynthesis, where plants utilize sunlight as an energy source, and regulates growth patterns based on light availability.

In both the eye and the plant, the photosensors function together with chromophores: retinal in the eye and phytochromobilin in the plant.

This unexpected parallel between the human eye and the leaf underscores a fundamental principle in biology – the ability to detect light is a powerful evolutionary advantage. By harnessing the power of light, both humans and plants gain the ability to navigate their environments, grow, and thrive.

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A sloth worth seeing! ✨️🦥✨️

I like to show myself, I feel good in my own skin and I'm happy every time I see your beautiful pictures.

😊🤎

My life is exciting and full of little adventures, even when I don't walk far from home. 🪲🍀

🪷 That's because of the way I see the world. 🌐

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