As the days become longer and the sun reaches its zenith (it's highest point), people around the world may gather in celebration of the summer solstice. Known for being the longest day of the year, this astronomical event holds immense significance in various cultures and throughout history.
The summer solstice marks the exact moment when the sun is at its highest point in the sky, resulting in the longest daylight period of the year. This phenomenon occurs when the Earth's axial tilt reaches its maximum inclination towards the sun. Typically occurring between the 20th and 22nd of June in the Northern Hemisphere, and December 20th and 23rd in the Southern Hemisphere, the summer solstice signifies the onset of either summer or winter seasons, respectively.
Stonehenge: Mystical Alignments
One of the most iconic symbols of the summer solstice is Stonehenge, a prehistoric monument in England (I knew niether that Stonehenge was in England or that it had anything to do with the Summer Solstice). Constructed over 4,500 years ago, the ancient stone circle is aligned with the sunrise on the summer solstice. It is believed to have served as a ceremonial site, where ancient people celebrated the sun's annual journey.
Midsummer Festivals: Pagan Traditions
The summer solstice holds deep-rooted ties to pagan traditions, particularly across areas of Europe. Midsummer festivals, such as Sweden's Midsommar and Lithuania's Joninės, involve bonfires, feasts, dancing, and floral wreaths. These customs reflect the joyous celebration of nature's bounty and the triumph of light over darkness.
For more about Sweden's Midsommar:
For more about Lithuania's Joninės:
Scandinavia's Midnight Sun
In the lands of the midnight sun, such as Norway and Iceland, the summer solstice takes on a unique character. As the sun never fully sets, locals partake in midnight sun concerts, hikes and communal gatherings, reveling in the perpetual daylight and the vibrant energy it brings.
"The phenomenon has at least made a lasting impression on several Norwegian artists and writers. This excerpt is from Knut Hamsun’s Pan (1894): “Night was coming on again; the sun just dipped into the sea and rose again, red, refreshed, as if it had been down to drink. I could feel more strangely on those nights than anyone would believe.'"
Inti Raymi: Incan Sun Festival
The Inca civilization celebrated the winter solstice, known as Inti Raymi, in the Southern Hemisphere. Honoring the sun god, Inti, this ancient festival involved colorful processions, music, dance and offerings to ensure a fruitful harvest season.
The Modern-day Solstice at Stonehenge
Thousands of people flock to Stonehenge each year to witness the summer solstice sunrise. Revelers gather to welcome the dawn, marking the commencement of a new season. Music, rituals, and a sense of collective celebration create an unforgettable experience.
"Stonehenge is perhaps the world’s most famous prehistoric monument. It was built in several stages: the first monument was an early henge monument, built about 5,000 years ago, and the unique stone circle was erected in the late Neolithic period about 2500 BC. In the early Bronze Age many burial mounds were built nearby."
For more on the History of Stonehenge, follow the link to their official website:
Festivals and Cultural Events
Across the globe, countless festivals and cultural events take place during the summer solstice. Examples include the Feast of St. John in Spain, Quebec's Fête Nationale, and the Burning Man Festival in the United States. These events blend ancient traditions with modern expressions of art, music, and community.
Feast of St. John:
Quebec's Fête Nationale
Burning Man Festival
The summer solstice, rich in history and accompanied by diverse customs, continuously captivates and inspires people across the globe. Whether you choose to embrace the solstice's ancient traditions or create your own modern celebration, this celestial event offers an opportunity to connect with nature, celebrate life, and bask in the warmth of the sun's energy. As the solstice approaches, let's welcome the radiant summer season with open hearts.
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What If We Killed Every Mosquito On Earth?
Brazil's mosquito factory is about to release 5 billion tainted mosquitoes the nation over interestingly Is this the start of a science fiction story? film or quite possibly of the most brilliant piece of science I've gone over in a Long Time spoiler: it's the ladder we're using. Everyone despises mosquitoes, and rightly so. reason on top of being an unadulterated irritation with their humming and irritated nibbles they're really the deadliest creature to literally, they kill more people. than any other animal in particular through spreading sickness yet before we can comprehend and the rationale for scientists' need to make a greater amount of them we ought to inquire ourselves asked, "Couldn't we just?" obliterate them generally like would it truly be so terrible in the event that we killed each mosquito on Earth nature Diary really did an investigation into this very question and found that there wouldn't really be a huge repercussions if mosquitoes vanished tomorrow basically not so much for people and that being said not many species intensely depend on the mosquitoes that do, such as some birds and fish would almost certainly supplant them with a different thing and while some mosquitoes truly do go about as pollinators there's nothing people depend on them solely because, of course, there are roughly 3,200 species. of mosquito and just 200 of them chomp people so it appears to be unreasonable to kill them everything except due to the ones that really do chomp us around 247 million individuals are contaminated with malaria each year, in addition to a bunch of different illnesses like Deni and zika yet while obliterating mosquitoes may be a net positive for people one is it actually that attainable to do and two would be able We really know what will happen to the environment. from something of that extent in comes the plan to make more mosquitoes in a factory, which initially sounds crazy you understand it's not you see researchers have found a way to prevent disease transmission from mosquitoes without the need for killing them all because of a microbes called wakia has kind of been behind the scenes in mosquito science assuming that you like for the last 100 years however just as of late drawing in a great deal of consideration a portion of the work that we did various quite a while back currently showed that if you had W back in this particular mosquito that spreads germs to individuals like yellow fever chcken Gia Dy The viruses were unable to thrive in the mosquito if it turns its head back here. in them this was befuddling to the researchers from the beginning yet they understood that the microbes is logical out contending some other microbes like the Deni virus, so the presence of wakia infection can't multiply as expected also, at last can't spread to people also, in the event that you take a portion of these wakia tainted mosquitoes and set them free into the wild they'll wind up contaminating different mosquitoes with wakia if an a male with the infection mates with a non-infected female the eggs She lays won't bring forth if The male lacks it, while the female does. She will lay eggs, but they will all be contaminated with wakia and the equivalent occurs if, after a few days, both are infected Ages the quantity of wakia conveying mosquitoes increments quickly we've done You are aware of deployments in 14 nations. normally our delivery programs last anywhere between a few months and perhaps a half year and that gives the a chance for those mosquitoes to make small, untamed mosquitoes and then transmit W back here into that wild mosquito populace in particular Sanctum cases dropped fundamentally perhaps the earliest exhaustive examinations in Indonesia found the defensive viability of the intervention had been 77.1% that is what might be compared to being multiple times more averse to create the if you were currently in those areas, disease The results at some test sites were as low as 38% yet major for the decrease of an illness the lower results might be on the grounds that it takes longer in some networks relying upon their size and climate for wakia to spread to the whole mosquito populace anyway the the most recent abura results valley Colombia which were recently delivered actually saw a decline in November 2023 of 95 to 97 percent in D fever, making it to the lowest rate for the last two decades locale what makes this outcome much more significant is that the remainder of the Actually, America's had the second worst year since 1980 for Deni fever, so while a few pieces of Colombia were seeing record highs in this area of Denay, where changed mosquitoes were Released saw record lows this Colombia project started releasing mosquitoes with wakia infections in 2015 so to see a 95% decrease in Deni fever is really bewildering and presently the groups are attempting to sort out some way to make use of these altered mosquitoes as successfully as conceivable over significantly bigger areas Deni is a significant issue in Brazil. as zika has then we are cooperating to create an office that will deliver up to 100 million mosquitoes every week uh so that we can deploy them in Brazil You now cover multiple Brazilian cities. may be wondering whether humans these are infected with the wakia mosquitoes like is there a bigger gamble because we have so much of it in climate so around half, everything being equal, naturally contain wakum, I can assure you. that you and everyone else who hears this will have been nibbled by what we call the normal housee mosquito that is the mosquito that is simply IND descript Earthy colored mosquito that will whiz around your ears and that mosquito normally has vakia in it vakia was an issue we'd realize about it there's not a connection between here and any adverse outcomes that might At the moment, anyone can locate the wh is assessing this innovation for use Obviously, in other nations the researchers included see this as a supplemental measure that was not intended to forestall or put Deni antibodies down in the areas in which there is a high risk but In the long run, it might save countless individuals from being contaminated by Deni and around 100 It's kept a million people from getting sick. all a wonderful reminder of how Moreover, an unexpected approach can occasionally literally alter hundreds of people's lives of millions of individuals for the better I need to send a major thanks to Dr O'Neal for assisting me with separating this inconceivable science thanks such a huge amount for watching on the off chance that you preferred it give it a approval and buy in for more science.
By Ibok Gerarda day ago in Earth
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