Fathers Day! And of course plankton...

Neh-neh neh-neh, neh-neh neh-neh, neh-neh neh-neh, neh-neh neh-neh SCI-ENCE.


Ahem.
So.
Cool people. Gotta love 'em.
Rose Eveleth and a few other garden peeps of the cool variety are embarking on a fabulous journey to find the most miraculous of miracles, the most spectacular of spectacles...you guessed it!
Plankton.
And let me tell you... I find myself in awe.
These little guys are incredible. Fo' serious.
They are not only the figurative feet of the figurative body that is the ocean's complex food chain, but provide half of the world's overall primary production.
It's tragic that the world thinks of plankton as pathetic, whiny creepers who can't even make a burger by themselves.
Danube, Spongebob Squarepants. Danube straight to Helge.*

Satellite - international plankton density.
*Hint*
It's the green stuff.

http://news.yahoo.com/steaming-north-scientists-trying-plankton-150000275.html;_ylt=Al7wUAZEUrfM_Ln36Djy0FIPLBIF;_ylu=X3oDMTNzNmU5ZWE3BG1pdANUb3BTdG9yeSBTY2llbmNlU0YEcGtnAzUwMzFhMGI2LTY0ZDctMzY3OC05YjY4LTkwNjE4OGVmZGFiOQRwb3MDMwRzZWMDdG9wX3N0b3J5BHZlcgM4NzBkYzBlMS1iODljLTExZTEtYmZmZS1iZGQwZWYwOGZhYTg-;_ylg=X3oDMTFlamZvM2ZlBGludGwDdXMEbGFuZwNlbi11cwRwc3RhaWQDBHBzdGNhdAMEcHQDc2VjdGlvbnM-;_ylv=3




And now for something completely different.
I am aware that it is a bit late, and that Fathers Day already happened, but holy shizniblets.
Dads are frackin' awesome.
So. Without further ado, the science behind half of your genetic material.

So basically, it comes down to the pants.
You know...your family's pants?
The coveted pants?
Oh, come on. We all know who wears 'the pants' in our families.
The influence each parent has in a child's life is huge, regardless of who wears these mystical pants.
Studies have shown that while mothers usually get the credit (good or bad) for a child's upbringing, fathers have an equal if not more intense effect on their child's outlook.
Children also have a large effect on their parents, and I don't just mean sleep deprivation.
Fatherhood messes with the hormone levels in menfolk (in a good way).
Their oxytocin levels tend to increase (the 'love hormone') and testosterone levels decrease (aggressive, macho hormone).
So that's pretty sweet.

Oxytocin - molecular structure.

http://news.yahoo.com/science-fatherhood-why-dads-matter-200244108.html;_ylt=AtDTSLB_mWgXzelA.DNYt3UPLBIF;_ylu=X3oDMTN0YXYyb3RzBG1pdANUb3BTdG9yeSBTY2llbmNlU0YEcGtnAzk2YTVmZjllLWE2ODctM2IwZi1hMTRlLWVlY2VkNGY5YzU3ZgRwb3MDMjAEc2VjA3RvcF9zdG9yeQR2ZXIDMTg4YzhjOTEtYjcyNi0xMWUxLThlNWYtMWEwZjU2ZDc2M2Vm;_ylg=X3oDMTFlamZvM2ZlBGludGwDdXMEbGFuZwNlbi11cwRwc3RhaWQDBHBzdGNhdAMEcHQDc2VjdGlvbnM-;_ylv=3




And now we come to some interesting historical cases of dadius awesomeitis.
This is a very serious condition characterized by hugs and general awesomeness.
Beware.

Just kidding.
These are a few outstanding cases of Dad-dom that you may find fun to read about.
And guess who's on the list?
No, guess.
Charles Darwin!!
Oh. My. Glob.
Okay. Random thought here.
My physics teacher last year was amazing. I mean really. Love that guy.
Well, Mr. G taught a subject I didn't like too much, but nevertheless I was honored to join my classmates in the use of his fabulous nickname:
Papa G.
Although, we used his last name of course.
So.
How's this, sci-guys?

...wait for it...

Papa Darwin.

*Awwwwwww*

Papa Darwin and his eldest son, William.

http://news.yahoo.com/doting-dads-6-historys-finest-fathers-213747454.html;_ylt=AkMzAU14BYJuoV6hq73UePsPLBIF;_ylu=X3oDMTN0dTRrb2xpBG1pdANUb3BTdG9yeSBTY2llbmNlU0YEcGtnAzEwNmQzNGRkLWI3N2UtM2NhYS04OGJiLWJlMjE4ZTk1NzU1NwRwb3MDMTQEc2VjA3RvcF9zdG9yeQR2ZXIDM2MxYTQ4ZjEtYjdmZC0xMWUxLWI3OWItZjE5YjU2ZTJjZjky;_ylg=X3oDMTFlamZvM2ZlBGludGwDdXMEbGFuZwNlbi11cwRwc3RhaWQDBHBzdGNhdAMEcHQDc2VjdGlvbnM-;_ylv=3




*River humor. Heh. This is going to happen more often.

The Danube river.

Helge river, Sweden.

Science kicks the gluteus maximus of everything. Evah.