Getting back into rhythm. I anticipate another post tomorrow.
Questions
As Aurelia Cotta died around age 66, it's very likely that the folk etymology for this is incorrect, with instead that etymology most likely deriving from the body of law which mandated this. In Farsi it is called عمل سزارین (amel sezaarin) these days, though in the past it was called a Rostamina, as it is said to have happened to Rudaba, as documented in the story of Rostam in the Shahnameh. That story was legendary; the first documented instance of this occurring successfully (by modern standards) came around the year 1500, when Jacob Nufer, a Swiss gelder of pigs, did this. What, exactly?
The “perfection” meme features a sequence of images, with a character played by Michael Fassbender shaking off various alternatives until a result that he believes to be the truth of something appears, which he then calls “perfection.” The sequence of images used for the meme is taken from a 2011 movie. The character played by Fassbender is asking what other character to show him who they really are, with the final result unveiled in that film prompting him to say “perfection”?
The tree formally called Lodoicea maldivica is, despite its name, native these days to two islands in the Seychelles, and not the Maldives. Its rather callipygian seed (shown) is easily the most notable thing about it, as its (also quite large) fruit contains the largest plant seed on the planet, with that seed being as wide as 30 centimeters and as heavy as 18 kilograms. That width is twice as large as the second largest contender, the fruit of the tree Cocos nucifera (the tree usually just called “the” coconut tree). By what usual name do we know the tree Lodoicea maldivica?
The Rolling Stones had a bit of a creative lull, I would argue, for something approaching two decades. Reflective of that, between 1991 and 2014, Mick Jagger and Keith Richards only had one song nominated at the Grammys in a rock music category. With that occurring in 1999, what song was so nominated? The nomination also listed another musician as contributing to the song, even though that performer has never been a member of the Rolling Stones.
Pluripotent stem cells have the potential to differentiate into any number of different body tissue cells, giving hope that they can be used therapeutically to treat various illnesses, as well as possibly reversing age-related changes. One particularly promising avenue of research has found that certain cells can be reprogrammed to revert back into their prior pluripotent state by making modifications to what is called the “epigenome” of such a cell’s genetic expression mechanism. That reprogramming - thus far done more successfully in murine models than in humans - has been accomplished by introducing four genes (Oct3/4, Sox2, Klf4, and Myc) into cells that, when they are expressed, induce that pluripotent state. Though other researchers like Kazutoshi Takahashi were involved in their isolation, and Sir John Gurdon shared the Nobel Prize because of his work in cellular regeneration, these four genes are known as the eponymous “factors” of what man, a 2012 Nobel Laureate in Physiology or Medicine?
There is a brief side plot at the beginning of the film Indiana Jones and the Dial of Destiny where Indy attempts to retrieve a particular legendary artifact from the Nazis, who were desperate at that point to find any kind of weapon that could bolster their obviously failing war effort. He seizes from them what alleged historical object (shown) - a weapon first mentioned in John 19:34? Indiana quickly deduces that the object is a forgery, which is not a big surprise - churches in Rome, Vienna, Antioch and Vagharshapat (in Armenia) today all make competing claims to have this relic, with the Austrian one in particularly implausibly crafted in ornate gold. While this object has a couple of more mundane names, the answer sought here contains a person’s name, and if you change one vowel in that name, you get a previous answer on this blog, asked as part of a question concerning the world’s oldest registered trademark.
This was first mentioned by name in a 1520 treatise by Johann Boemus, who described it as an area bordered by the Baltic Sea, the Arctic Ocean, the Don River, and the Caspian Sea. That land had its capital at Muscovy, but over time various lands referred to by this name existed, including its use as a byname for the territory of the Kievan Rus', as well in application to lands found in modern day Belarus, where locations of this name were given “White” and “Black” sub-designations. Eventually, this name became most associated with a region in the eastern Tatra Mountains and the Ukrainian portions of the Caucasus, with the city of Khust being its largest city. More recently - and by that we are talking about 1844 - the name got new currency thanks to Karl Ernest Claus, who had been working on samples taken from the Ural Mountains. What place name?
The July 2025 earthquake off Kamchatka was one of the ten strongest earthquakes ever recorded, with analysis suggesting that it reached 8.8 on the moment magnitude scale. The strongest earthquake ever to have been recorded reached 9.5 on that scale, and it happened in 1960. It’s sometimes called the Great Chilean Earthquake, and its epicenter was actually closest to the town of Lumaco, but it is usually named in reference to what larger city near that town? This city was devastated by the quake, with its fatalities thought to be around 3000, though it eventually recovered, and today it is home to over 100,000 people. Its namesake was Chile's first Spanish governor, and he can be likened in that country's history as being its Pizarro, and indeed he served as a lieutenant under that conquistador.
Shown are some of the more eccentric designs for perfume bottles released by what fashion company? The namesake of this company died in 2023 at age 88, and some of the themes in his work are reflected in the choice of bottle designs featured below.
Literally meaning “butter and bread,” what is the Danish term for an open-faced sandwich, usually made with a dark bread (such as rye) which (astonishingly) then is buttered? The heavy amount of toppings (examples shown) can include almost anything - though fish, beef, and eggs are typical - making it difficult to eat this food by hand, so the usual etiquette is to eat this “sandwich” with a knife and fork, often doing so layer-by-layer. The name by which this is known in the language of a nearby country suggests that it could be part of a much larger feast.
