SHE SELLS SEASHELLS BY THE SEASHORE

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Born in 1799, Mary Anning — the dirt-poor woman said to have inspired the tongue-twister “She sells seashells by the seashore” — would spend her entire life uncovering and piecing together the fossils of one never-before-seen monster after another: organisms that had been hidden away for nearly 200 million years in the cliffs up and down England’s southern coastline.

In short, she provided raw material to the scientists — all male — that would be instrumental in forming their evolutionary theories. Stephen Jay Gould later remarked that Anning is “probably the most important unsung (or inadequately sung) collecting force in the history of paleontology” yet Anning’s place in history happened quite by accident.

By birth, Anning never should have become an influential fossil hunter and geologist. She was marginalized not only by her family’s poverty but also by her sex, her regional dialect, and her nearly complete lack of schooling. But she enjoyed one natural advantage: the very good fortune of having been born in exactly the right place at the right time, alongside some of the most geologically unstable coastline in the world; it was — and still is — a place permeated with fossils.

Beach where Anning searched for fossils

After her father died in 1810, young Mary’s family was in dire financial straits. In order to put food on her table, she was forced to run the shore’s gauntlet of high tides and landslides to hunt for curiosities that she could sell to seafaring tourists. If she hadn’t, her family very well could have starved.

Her first discovery, made in 1811 when she was only 12 years old, was of the fossil of an ichthyosaur, a marine reptile about four feet in length with flippers like a dolphin and a chest like a lizard. At first people thought it must be a crocodile. In time, though, the specimen attracted massive crowds to museums in London, where many soon realized the skeleton was of a creature never before seen.

Ichthyosaur Fossil

The strange fossils found along England’s southern shoreline had baffled the locals for as long as anyone could remember. They came in all forms and sizes — including what later were determined to be bivalves, ammonites, belemnites, and brachiopods — and sometimes even the fragments of giant critters never heard of before.

Her discovery of a nearly intact long-necked plesiosaur (Plesiosaurus dolichodeirus) in 1823 was so incredible that even the celebrated French anatomist Georges Cuvier did not believe it could be valid. It was only after British geologist William Conybeare defended Anning’s find — and verified that the neck did indeed boast at least 35 vertebrae — did Cuvier admit he was wrong. Eventually he pronounced Anning’s fossil a major discovery.

Plesiosaur Fossil

As Anning aged, and began working alongside Britain’s clique of male geologists — most of them Anglican clergymen — there were countless attempts to use biblical stories to explain the new knowledge about the natural world that resulted from her fossil discoveries. For example, Anning’s friend and associate William Buckland — the well-known English geologist and first professor of geology at Oxford — believed that the fossils found at high altitudes proved that a great flood had once covered the planet, just like the Flood described in the Bible.

Mary Anning

Anning’s views on the flood and the disparate theories of the male scientists of her era are not known. But in 1833, she was visited by a tourist, the Reverend Henry Rawlins, and his six–year-old son, Frank. Rawlins believed that God created the world within a week, but Anning described to young Frank how the fossils purchased by his father had been found by her at all different levels in the cliffs, explaining that this meant the creatures possibly had been created and had lived at different times. According to Frank’s journals, his father refused to discuss the issue after they left Anning’s home.

One can only imagine how frightening it must have been for Anning to find the fragments of these exotic creatures — with their bat-like wings, snake-like necks, and big, bulging eye sockets — and wonder if perhaps the live versions were not about to fly out of the sky or come up out of the sea to terrorize her.

Anning tried to reconcile what she was unearthing with her belief in God’s omnipotence, a belief she apparently held until her death from breast cancer at the age of 47. Some of her letters to friends suggest that she grew to accept that there had been a progression of living things. A few years before she died, she remarked that — from what she had seen of the fossil world — there is a “connection of analogy between the Creatures of the former and present World.” From most accounts, it seems she continued to believe in God throughout her life, but that she also came to accept that evolution was part of God’s plan. Toward the end of her life, she copied into her journals many poems and passages laced with religious overtones.

At the Natural History Museum in London, as well as a small museum in Lyme Regis, Anning is recognized as having laid the groundwork for the theory of evolution, not to mention nearly two centuries of discoveries in the still evolving worlds of paleontology and geology. Today thousands of people continue to go hunting for fossils along England’s so-called Jurassic coast — a 95-mile stretch of shoreline declared a Unesco World Heritage Site in 2001. And, to this day, real and startling discoveries are still being made, such as the skeleton of a 195-million–year-old Scelidosaurus, the earliest of the armored dinosaurs, in Anning’s hometown of Lyme Regis a few years ago.

Illustration

With over 700 species of dinosaurs already identified and named, reminders of the prehistoric past just keep on surfacing, thrilling paleontologists. But there are plenty of people who are still unsettled by the signs of the completely different world that must have existed on earth before humans arrived — even if they also are able to marvel at the possibilities. It is most likely a feeling that — nearly two centuries ago — Anning would have shared.


Written by: Shelley Emling

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Published by NebraskaFilly

Army veteran (1976-1979), retired with entirely too much time on my hands

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147 thoughts on “SHE SELLS SEASHELLS BY THE SEASHORE”

  1. One night a little girl walks in on her parents having s*x. The mother is going up and down on the father and when she sees her daughter looking at them she immediately stops.

    “What are you doing, Mommy?” The mother too embarrassed to tell her little girl about s*x so she makes up an answer. “Well, sweetie, sometimes daddy’s tummy gets too big so I have to jump up and down on it to flatten it out.”

    The little girl replies, “Well, mommy you really shouldn’t bother with that.” The mother has a confused look on her face, “Why do you say that sweetheart?”

    The little girl replies, “Because mommy, every time you leave in the morning, the lady next door comes over and blows it back up.”
    ——————-
    Teacher and her 3 boy students:

    Teacher: “Why did you laugh?”
    Boy 1: “I saw a strap of your bra.”

    Teacher: “You are punished to stay out of school for one week.”
    Boy 2 laughed…

    Teacher: “Why did you laugh?”
    Boy 2: “I saw your bra straps.”

    Teacher: “You are punished to stay out of school for one month.”
    Teacher bent down to pickup a chalk. Boy 3 started walking out of the class…

    Teacher: “Why are you leaving?”
    Boy 3: “I think my school days are over.”
    ——————-
    A man walks into a bar and sees a guy with a really big lighter. He asks the man, “Where did you get such a big lighter?” The man replies,”See that man playing piano over there? He’s a genie and he’ll grant you one wish.”

    So the guy walks over to the genie and says, “I wish for a million bucks.” All of a sudden the room fills up with a million ducks. The man walks over to the guy with the lighter and says, “That genie is a little hard of hearing isn’t he.”

    The guy replies, “No kidding! You think I asked for a 14 inch Bic!”
    ——————-
    Little 6-year old John Smith’s parents felt really horny at 11 AM on Sunday and wanted to make love, but had to get John away for at least one hour. So they told him to go to the balcony and report all activities of their neighbours for the next hour. Being the innocent, dutiful son he was raised to be, he did as he was told.

    His parents amused themselves, and then came the formality of the report at 12 PM. John said “For the past hour, the Wilsons were watching TV, Mr. Cole was playing the piano, the Johnsons were playing carrom together and the Donalds were having sex.”

    His parents were shocked! They asked him “How do you know that?” He said “Their son was out on the balcony too.”

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  5. Oh, my! Charlie Hurt has a Van Dyke-type beard now – my goodness, does HE ever look hot!!!! Wow – totally different and uber sexy, IMO!!! I haven’t been able to find a pic, unfortunately. So distinguished, too!

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      1. “Charles Hurt (born 1971)[1] is an American journalist and political commentator. He is currently the opinion editor of The Washington Times,[2][3][4] Fox News contributor,[5] Breitbart News contributor, and a Drudge Report editor.[2] Hurt’s views have been considered to be by and large Republican-leaning.”

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          1. He does now!!! I always really liked him – kind of an aw-shucks, down-home kind of guy, nice wit and great sense of humor. But the beard just puts him into an entirely different category!!! Ooh-la-la!!! Wish I could find a picture….I’ll keep looking.

            Liked by 1 person

              1. LOL – then I’d never see it!!! Seriously! No, the place to put it is in a frame, right here on the far side of my table where I can see it ALL day and drool!!! Seriously! He looked so fine on Fox today!!!! Looked like he’s got the salt-n-pepper thing going on and it’s nicely balanced in his beard. Thick, curly hair…..lopsided grin….oh, girl!!!!

                Liked by 1 person

  8. Gorgeous day here! 85 on the patio – I’ve got both French doors open, with the patio fan going on low. It’s been cloudy off and on, with a nice breeze. When I did my watering, I was inundated with bees or wasps from the tire tower – I expect they’ve got a nest up under the rim of the top tire. Something to take care of at some point, before I have to get in there this fall and dig out the Canna rhizomes!

    I do so love watching the birds! Still have Orioles and the woodpecker pair are here as well. And of course, tons and tons of finches, sparrows and such, digging into the jelly as well as the seed. I’ve finally identified the Nuthatch for sure now – I’ve been watching it for years, trying to get a good look, and I finally did yesterday. They are the only bird that can walk down trees head-first. I’ve also identified it’s chirp. There is no mistaking the screeching and squawking of the woodpeckers, that’s for sure! Mine is slightly different than the one here – he/she has black over the entire head.

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  13. today’s NO SHIT winner

    The golden eagle, an icon of the U.S. West, teeters on the edge of decline and scientists worry that a boom in wind turbines could push them over the brink. https://t.co/eqPm0MaBW2 pic.twitter.com/W8VrF3gM6G

    — The Associated Press (@AP) August 17, 2022

    Liked by 1 person

      1. wind turbines kill birds…that includes EAGLES–of all types…the golden eagle is apparently taking a beating…but the news is that AP said this..calling out green energy. folks are wondering with the audobon society isn’t raising holy hell over the stupid turbines

        Liked by 1 person

        1. The Audubon Society has been bought out, just like the Sierra Club has been bought out – all of them have except maybe PETA. Even they aren’t the saviors they make themselves out to be.

          Liked by 1 person

  17. EXCERPT: “A lawsuit challenging San Diego’s COVID-19 vaccine mandate for municipal employees will move forward after a federal judge on Tuesday rejected the city’s request to dismiss the complaint. U.S. District Judge Gonzalo Curiel said the city’s motion to dismiss did not address recent developments in case law and public health guidance pertaining to COVID-19 public health measures, restrictions and requirements.

    The San Diego City Council on Nov. 29, 2021, voted 8-1 in favor of approving the mandate. The subsequent ordinance required current and newly hired or appointed city employees, elected officials, board members and volunteers to be “fully” vaccinated for COVID-19.

    ReOpen San Diego, a nonprofit citizens group, in February filed the suit alleging the mandate kept “an entire category of individuals from meaningful participation in city government” by barring the unvaccinated from entering city buildings or attending municipal meetings.

    The city’s motion to dismiss cited the U.S. Supreme Court’s decision in 1905 in Jacobson v. Massachusetts, a case that pertained to mandatory smallpox vaccinations, which held that local governments have the authority to implement laws and ordinances in response to public health threats. In rejecting the motion, Judge Curiel held this argument did not directly address the allegations made in ReOpen San Diego’s lawsuit challenging the city’s restrictions.

    Responding to the decision, Arie Spangler, an attorney representing ReOpen San Diego, remarked:

    “The majority of governments (and employers) are now backing away from COVID vaccination mandates, the data is showing that the currently available vaccinations do not prevent transmission or infection, and the city has been unable to present any credible authority supporting its position that it has a legal right to require elected officials, board and commission members and volunteers to provide proof of vaccination in order to serve the city.”

    Spangler was referring to, among other recent developments, the new guidance from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) that eliminates quarantine and distancing recommendations, and distinctions between vaccinated and unvaccinated individuals.”

    https://childrenshealthdefense.org/defender/san-diego-lawsuit-covid-vaccine-mandate-municipal-employees/

    Liked by 1 person

  18. EXCERPT: “Neurodegenerative illnesses, such as Alzheimer’s disease, are among the most perplexing in medical science. The underlying causes of such diseases range from genetic factors and overall cardiovascular health to dietary influences and lifestyle choices. Various environmental contaminants have also been implicated as possible players in the development or advancement of neurodegenerative disease.

    Among these is glyphosate herbicide, which is used in massive amounts on GMO glyphosate-tolerant crops. Each year, around 250 million pounds of glyphosate are applied to agricultural crops in the U.S. alone.

    In a new study, Arizona State University (ASU) Graduate Research Assistant Joanna Winstone, Assistant Professor Ramon Velazquez and their colleagues at the Translational Genomics Research Institute explored the effects of glyphosate exposure on the brains of mice. Their research demonstrates for the first time that glyphosate successfully crosses the blood-brain barrier and infiltrates the brain, according to a news report by ASU. Once there, it acts to enhance levels of a critical factor known as TNF-α.

    TNF-α is a molecule with two faces. This pro-inflammatory cytokine performs vital functions in the neuroimmune system, acting to enhance the immune response and protect the brain. When levels of TNF-α are dysregulated, however, a host of diseases linked with neuroinflammation can result. Among these is Alzheimer’s disease.”

    https://childrenshealthdefense.org/defender/glyphosate-brain-beta-amyloid-alzheimers/

    Liked by 1 person

  19. so strzok was possibly NOT fib at all…so they lied to REALPOTUS when fib said they fired him?
    FTA
    There is no evidence that Peter Strzok ever worked or served in any FBI field office. Nor is there any evidence that Strzok attended the FBI academy in Quantico, Virginia. There is no evidence Strzok ever graduated from Quantico. Any of these would indicate his attachment to the FBI but they cannot be found.

    Strzok’s history shows that he left the Army and was immediately assigned to the White House. (See picture above of Strzok in the late 1990’s in the Clinton White House.) When did Strzok have time to attend the FBI academy if he went directly to the White House?

    Another indication of Strzok’s connection to the CIA is that he signed a document with the title not of an FBI employee but with a CIA title.

    https://www.thegatewaypundit.com/2022/08/breaking-exclusive-trump-gotem-huge-concerns-peter-strzok-working-cia-likely-heart-mar-lago-raid/

    Liked by 1 person

  21. I am adding a short daily prayer to the board. I would invite each of you, if you wish, to also add one or maybe two of your own liking. I do not want to stifle anyone but please limit yourself to one or two religious postings. here’s one I found that I liked.

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