2021-04-06
The Parthenon temple in the Acropolis of Athens, Greece (© Lucky-photographer/Shutterstock)
雅典卫城的帕特农神庙，希腊 (© Lucky-photographer/Shutterstock)
Today marks the 125th anniversary of the first modern Olympic games, held in Athens in 1896—1,500 years after they were banned by the Roman Emperor. (The original games were held at least as far back as 776 BCE and probably earlier.) The 1896 games were held in the Panathenaic Stadium, in the shadow of the Acropolis of Athens, shown here. Those newly revived games of 1896 included athletes from 14 countries, with the largest delegations from Greece, Germany, France, and Great Britain. The 43 events included a marathon, tennis, cycling, fencing, shooting, Greco-Roman wrestling, and swimming. And while some things haven't changed over the years, some were pretty different back then. Swimmers were taken out to sea by boat for the longer races and had to swim back to shore. Winners were given a silver medal (copper for second place), as well as an olive branch and a diploma.
The Parthenon temple in the Acropolis of Athens, Greece (© Lucky-photographer/Shutterstock)
雅典卫城的帕特农神庙，希腊 (© Lucky-photographer/Shutterstock)
Today marks the 125th anniversary of the first modern Olympic games, held in Athens in 1896—1,500 years after they were banned by the Roman Emperor. (The original games were held at least as far back as 776 BCE and probably earlier.) The 1896 games were held in the Panathenaic Stadium, in the shadow of the Acropolis of Athens, shown here. Those newly revived games of 1896 included athletes from 14 countries, with the largest delegations from Greece, Germany, France, and Great Britain. The 43 events included a marathon, tennis, cycling, fencing, shooting, Greco-Roman wrestling, and swimming. And while some things haven't changed over the years, some were pretty different back then. Swimmers were taken out to sea by boat for the longer races and had to swim back to shore. Winners were given a silver medal (copper for second place), as well as an olive branch and a diploma.
2021-04-07
Banded pipefish near Moalboal, Philippines (© Jenna Szerlag/Alamy)
早春里的柳枝，明尼苏达州 (© Jim Brandenburg/Minden Pictures)
This aquatic candy cane is called a banded pipefish. It's in the same family as the seahorse, and like its cousin, the pipefish has plates of bony armor covering its body. This gives it protection, but a rigid body (like a candy cane!), so it swims by rapidly fanning its fins. Also like the seahorse, it's the male pipefish—not the female—who carries the eggs. After an elaborate courtship dance, the female deposits her eggs in the male's brood pouch, where they develop until the male gives birth. We're not making this stuff up, but we can't vouch for the theory that the red-and-white banded pipefish has a minty taste.
Banded pipefish near Moalboal, Philippines (© Jenna Szerlag/Alamy)
早春里的柳枝，明尼苏达州 (© Jim Brandenburg/Minden Pictures)
This aquatic candy cane is called a banded pipefish. It's in the same family as the seahorse, and like its cousin, the pipefish has plates of bony armor covering its body. This gives it protection, but a rigid body (like a candy cane!), so it swims by rapidly fanning its fins. Also like the seahorse, it's the male pipefish—not the female—who carries the eggs. After an elaborate courtship dance, the female deposits her eggs in the male's brood pouch, where they develop until the male gives birth. We're not making this stuff up, but we can't vouch for the theory that the red-and-white banded pipefish has a minty taste.
2021-04-08
Black grouse male calling at lek site in Kuusamo, Finland (© Oliver Smart/Alamy)
正在打鸣求偶的雄性黑琴鸡，芬兰库萨莫 (© Oliver Smart/Alamy)
Spring is lekking season for the black grouse. In the early morning, the male birds, like this fancy fella in Finland, gather on lek sites, often a patch of open ground, to put on a show for the ladies in the audience. The guys flash their white tail feathers, utter cooing and hissing noises, flutter jump, and pick fights with each other—all to demonstrate their dominance to the watching hens. (Hens are smaller and have gray-brown feathers.) When a hen picks out the male she likes, the two fly off to mate and then go their separate ways. Love connections are brief in the black grouse world.
Black grouse male calling at lek site in Kuusamo, Finland (© Oliver Smart/Alamy)
正在打鸣求偶的雄性黑琴鸡，芬兰库萨莫 (© Oliver Smart/Alamy)
Spring is lekking season for the black grouse. In the early morning, the male birds, like this fancy fella in Finland, gather on lek sites, often a patch of open ground, to put on a show for the ladies in the audience. The guys flash their white tail feathers, utter cooing and hissing noises, flutter jump, and pick fights with each other—all to demonstrate their dominance to the watching hens. (Hens are smaller and have gray-brown feathers.) When a hen picks out the male she likes, the two fly off to mate and then go their separate ways. Love connections are brief in the black grouse world.