R.J. Jeffreys @WriteStep

A cat is a cat, no matter the size.. 😅

The remarkable story of Chinese scientist Tu Youyou, who won the 2015 Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine for her discovery of artemisinin — a breakthrough drug that has saved millions of lives from malaria worldwide. In the late 1960s and early 1970s, amid China's "Project 523" (a secret effort to combat malaria during the Vietnam War era), Tu Youyou and her team reviewed thousands of ancient Chinese medical texts for herbal remedies against "intermittent fevers" (a classic description of malaria symptoms). Most preparations involved boiling herbs into decoctions, but one key reference from the Eastern Jin Dynasty (around 340 AD) stood out — Ge Hong's A Handbook of Prescriptions for Emergencies (肘后备急方). It described using qinghao (sweet wormwood, Artemisia annua) by taking "a handful of qinghao, immerse in two liters of water, wring out the juice, and drink it all." Notably, this method used cold water steeping and wringing (squeezing) rather than heat. This detail was pivotal: Traditional boiling methods had yielded inconsistent or ineffective results in modern tests because high temperatures degraded the active compound. Tu hypothesized that heat was destroying the antimalarial potency, so her team shifted to low-temperature extraction techniques. In September 1971, they experimented with solvents like ethyl ether (which has a low boiling point of about 35°C) to extract the leaves and stems at reduced temperatures. On October 4, 1971, they obtained a highly effective sample (#191) that achieved 100% inhibition of malaria parasites in rodent and monkey models. This led to the isolation of artemisinin (also called qinghaosu) in 1972. Tu even tested the safety of early extracts on herself first. Artemisinin-based combination therapies (ACTs) are now the WHO-recommended first-line treatment for malaria, dramatically reducing deaths, especially in Africa and Asia.

Drew Struzan painted the childhoods of an entire generation without most people ever knowing his name. When Alzheimer's took his ability to hold a brush, the world lost something it hadn't known how to measure. Struzan died on October 13, 2025, aged 78. His wife Dylan had revealed his diagnosis in March, writing: "Drew can no longer paint or sign things for you. He is not enjoying a well-deserved retirement but rather fighting for his life." Across five decades he created more than 150 posters for Star Wars, Indiana Jones, Back to the Future, E.T., Blade Runner, The Goonies, The Shawshank Redemption, and Harry Potter among them. His hand-painted style combined acrylics, airbrushing, and coloured pencils in a way no one else could replicate. Steven Spielberg called him "my favorite movie artist," saying Struzan's work visually defined the cinematic experience for millions of fans worldwide. George Lucas trusted him so completely that the two became creative partners across decades of filmmaking. He retired in 2008 but occasionally returned for special projects, including the poster for Star Wars: The Force Awakens. His wife's final statement said simply: "I feel it is important that you all know how many times he expressed to me the joy he felt knowing how much you appreciated his art."

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@hwinkler4real 1453

Judy Garland singing "Over The Rainbow" at the age of 21. Filmed during a broadcast of the Command Performance radio program.

David Hockney. The Arrival of Spring in Woldgate, East Yorkshire in 2011 (twenty eleven)

Imagine the skill it took to make marble look wet. In The Nymph (1858), Italian sculptor Giovanni Lombardi carved solid stone to resemble water rippling around her bare feet. Completed in 1858 for a private palazzo in Brescia, La Ninfa showcases the astonishing skill of Italian sculptor Giovanni Battista Lombardi, a master of 19th-century realism who pushed marble to its limits. At a time when sculptors competed to make stone resemble fabric, flesh, and flowing water, Lombardi created a figure so lifelike it seems to react to the cold stream beneath her feet. Though influenced by Neoclassicism, Lombardi favored sensual realism over idealized gods, focusing instead on subtle human details like shifting weight and toes pressing into a streambed. The sculpture required extreme undercutting and polishing, where a single mistake could ruin weeks of work. Commissioned for an elite patron, it also reflected a broader fascination with artistic mastery. Lombardi was part of a small group of Italian sculptors sometimes called “the illusionists,” artists who challenged marble’s hardness by making it appear soft, fluid, and alive.

Remembering comedy genius Stan Laurel who was born on this day in 1890. #LaurelAndHardy

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A night on Mars. This is 140 million miles away from us!

Size of this baobab tree in Madagascar 📹 rever_mada

Maybe one of the most unforgettable surfing moments was captured by David Tereva. [🏄‍♂️ terevadavid]

Each dot is in this image not a star. It's an entire galaxy. containing hundreds of billions of stars each.

Bob Odenkirk has returned as Saul Goodman in a new video celebrating 250 years of America.

Remembering one of Comedy’s all time greats — STAN LAUREL — who was born 136yrs ago today.

The famous Night Queen aria from Mozart's opera The Magic Flute is featured in the 1984 film Amadeus, directed by Miloš Forman.

Nine weeks of drawings left! Get your tickets now: rodserling.com/serlingfest-20…

Give a medal to whoever created this

Boston has statues honoring presidents, generals, and historical figures. It also has one dedicated to turtles. 🐢🐢🐢🐢🐢

Celebrating Stan Laurel....#BOTD June 16, 1890....shown here in a lovely bit of film with his look-a-like father Stanley Jefferson... Lot of love in those two big smiles....

I'm excited to announce I'll be playing Volkshaus in Zurich with my band featuring special guest @ImeldaOfficial on the 1st September! General On sale starts Friday June 19th at 10am: ticketcorner.ch/artist/ronnie-…