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Carrion Luggage
Carrion Luggage
 
Native to the Americas, the turkey vulture (Cathartes aura) travels widely in search of sustenance. While usually foraging alone, it relies on other individuals of its species for companionship and mutual protection. Sometimes misunderstood, sometimes feared, sometimes shunned, it nevertheless performs an important role in the ecosystem.
This scavenger bird is a marvel of efficiency. Rather than expend energy flapping its wings, it instead locates uplifting columns of air, and spirals within them in order to glide to greater heights. This behavior has been mistaken for opportunism, interpreted as if it is circling doomed terrestrial animals destined to be its next meal. In truth, the vulture takes advantage of these thermals to gain the altitude needed glide longer distances, flying not out of necessity, but for the joy of it.
It also avoids the exertion necessary to capture live prey, preferring instead to feast upon that which is already dead. In this behavior, it resembles many humans.
It is not what most of us would consider to be a pretty bird. While its habits are often off-putting, or even disgusting, to members of more fastidious species, the turkey vulture helps to keep the environment from being clogged with detritus. Hence its Latin binomial, which translates to English as "golden purifier."
I rarely know where the winds will take me next, or what I might find there. The journey is the destination.
December 15, 2025 at 8:34am December 15, 2025 at 8:34am
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This PopSci piece is nearly a month old, which matters when you're talking about transient space phenomena. Still, I'm sure most people remember the subject.
As I've been saying: It's not aliens.
Provisionally.
It's obviously "alien" in the sense that it comes from a whole 'nother part of space. Few would doubt that, and those few would be in the same category as young-earth creationists and flat-earthers: complete deniers of piles and piles of evidence.
The only "controversy" - mostly manufactured - was whether it was the product of alien sentience. The problem with any "sentient alien" hypothesis, though, is the same as the problem with Bigfoot: we can't prove Bigfoot doesn't exist; we can only continue to not find evidence of her existence.
During a press conference on November 19, NASA confirmed the icy rock poses no danger to Earth, and contrary to certain conspiracy theories, is not an alien spacecraft.
The "alien" people weren't necessarily spouting conspiracy theories, though. Just wishful thinking and projection. Any true conspiracy theorist would take one look at NASA's denial, and consider it proof that they're hiding something.
“It expanded people’s brains to think about how magical the universe could be,” said Dr. Tom Statler, lead scientist for solar system small bodies, during the livestream announcement.
I remember when I was a kid, fascinated by astronomy, there was talk about comets or other visitors from other star systems. Much like with the detection of extrasolar planets, though, it was only recently that we actually confirmed their existence.
The universe is strange enough, but people are strange enough to have to try to make it even stranger. I actually kind of love that about people. It's only when they take it too far and replace reality with one of their own that I get disgusted.
There's more at the link, including actual images from actual telescopes, but fair warning: the images aren't exactly breathtaking, not like the famous pictures of nebulas and such from Webb or Hubble.
Mostly I just wanted to reiterate that it's not aliens.
It's still pretty cool, though. |
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