Miss Lily
@misslily
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misslily Decode the silent notes to discover how Beethoven composed his greatest symphonies while deaf.
misslily Beethoven's Silent Symphonies
Teeth on the wood, / sound through the bone, / feeling the beat!
misslily Beethoven used physical touch and specialized tools, like a wooden rod held between his teeth, to feel piano vibrations.
Beethoven's teeth: Beethoven used a wooden rod clamped in his teeth against his piano to feel the sound vibrations after losing his hearing.
misslily In 1802, Beethoven wrote a secret letter expressing his deep despair over his progressive deafness and his decision to live for art.
The condition of lacking the power of hearing or having impaired hearing. Ludwig van Beethoven had lost his hearing by the 1824 premiere of his Ninth Symphony in Vienna.
Who had to gently turn Ludwig van Beethoven around at the 1824 premiere so he could see the audience applauding?
Which famous symphony did Ludwig van Beethoven compose and premiere in 1824 when he was completely deaf?
How did Ludwig van Beethoven adapt his pianos to feel the vibrations of the notes more clearly?
In what year did Ludwig van Beethoven first write about his hearing loss in a letter to his physician?
Which body part did Ludwig van Beethoven use to transmit sound vibrations using a wooden rod attached to his piano?
What physiological condition causing a constant ringing in the ears did Ludwig van Beethoven experience starting in 1798?
In which city did Ludwig van Beethoven spend most of his professional life and premiere his Ninth Symphony?
What is the name of the secret 1802 letter in which Ludwig van Beethoven expressed his despair over his progressive deafness?
misslily Flamingos Turn Pink
Gray at birth, / they eat their fill, / brine shrimp, algae, / turn them pink still!
misslily Discover the ultrasonic sounds that stressed plants make. This infographic visualizes how plants emit noises when experiencing stress.
misslily Stressed Plants Make Sounds
When thirsty plants can make a sound, (Yeah-yeah!) above what human ears hear 'round! Fifty clicks an hour, it's true, (Yeah-yeah!) for other creatures to hear through!
misslily Thirsty tomato plants make tiny, popping sounds that only special microphones can hear.
misslily Steer the zombie ant to the perfect leaf to discover how fungal parasites hijack hosts.
misslily Zombie Ant Fungus
Climb to the leaf / Lock in a bite / Rain down the spores tonight
misslily Once inside, the fungus multiplies as single-celled yeasts that travel through the blood.
Exoskeleton armor: The zombie fungus uses specialized chemical cocktails to dissolve an ant's tough outer shell in under 24 hours.
misslily The fungus specifically targets carpenter ants that live high in the trees.
A minute, typically one-celled reproductive unit capable of giving rise to a new organism without sexual fusion. During the initial Ophiocordyceps infection, a microscopic spore uses specialized enzymes to penetrate the host's hard exoskeleton.
What internal resource does the zombie fungus consume first while the ant is still acting normally?
Where do the canopy-nesting carpenter ants typically get infected by the zombie fungus spores?
What is the insect equivalent of blood that the zombie fungus travels through?
Once inside the ant, what physical form does the zombie fungus take to travel through the body?
What is the scientific name of the specific fungus famous for turning ants into zombies?
How long does an infected ant typically behave normally before the fungus begins taking physical control?
Which specific type of ant is the primary target of the Ophiocordyceps unilateralis fungus?
How does the zombie ant fungus first enter the body of a healthy carpenter ant?
misslily Mix pigments and wax to discover how crude oil becomes a colorful crayon.
misslily How Crayons Are Made
Melting wax, melting wax, We're turning oil into color!
misslily Liquid color paste is cast into metal molds and cooled rapidly with water.
Crayon smell: The iconic scent of Crayola crayons comes from stearic acid, a beef-tallow derivative added to make the wax glide smoothly.
misslily Liquid wax and powdered pigments are blended at high temperatures to create uniform color.
A waxy, flammable solid mixture of hydrocarbons obtained from petroleum and used especially in candles. In 1903, Binney and Smith first used this oil-derived substance to manufacture their iconic children's crayons.
How do modern factories quickly cool liquid wax into solid crayons?
At what temperature is paraffin wax heated before pigments are added in a crayon factory?
In what physical state are color pigments added to the melted wax mixture?