The

Eclectic

Newsletter

Vol. 1, No. 8

Happy Thursday, everyone!

Today’s topics include photosynthesis and carbon dioxide. Trust me, it’s fascinating!

To start off with, let me apologize for the prolonged hiatus. As some of you already know, I was struck ill in early March, spent 4 days in the hospital in the middle of April, and have been coping with an extended recovery since.

I am much better and hope to be off the medication soon.

That said, let’s dive into the odd and obscure.

Is it a plant? 🌱 Or an animal?  🐑

A leaf sheep sea slug (Costasiella kuroshimae). Image via Christian Gloor/ Wikipedia (CC BY 2.0).

Technically, it’s neither.

The Leaf Sheep, as it’s colloquially called, is a sea creature known as a gastropod mollusk. In plain English, that’s a sea slug.

The image shows that it does resemble a sheep. Because of its coloring, it is called a leaf sheep.

It gets its coloring from acting like a plant through photosynthesis, but not like plants because it comes through a third party.

They eat algae, which has chloroplasts inside. In photosynthesis, they use the chloroplasts they have absorbed from the algae to convert energy from light into food.

It’s the chloroplasts, which contain chlorophyll, that also cause the green color.

This process is referred to as kleptoplasty. Yep, that kind of klepto.

While the relationship between the leaf sheep and the algae can be described as symbiotic, the leaf sheep clearly gets greater benefits.

In addition to the photosynthesis function, the chloroplasts produce sugars that can keep the leaf sheep alive for periods when algae itself is scarce.

Moreover, the absorption of chloroplasts makes leaf sheep bioluminescent.

One leaf sheep can lay between 2,000 and 4,000 eggs, which hatch in four days.

And last but hardly least, they can come out of the water, so to speak. Living in areas called intertidal zones, they are covered by water during high tides but can become visible when the tide recedes.

Never knew a slug could be so cute. 🤩

Why Does Swiss Cheese Have Holes? 🧀

You might already know this, but I didn’t and found the truth fascinating.

It takes bacteria to make cheese from milk.

Now, don’t go all “Yuck!” on me. Probiotics are bacteria, too, you know.

Apparently, the particular bacteria used to create Swiss cheese creates carbon dioxide, which in turn creates air bubbles during the process, leaving behind holes (or “eyes,” as the industry calls them).

Baby Swiss is aged less, which accounts for the smaller holes and milder flavor.

So, the next time you add Swiss cheese to your favorite sandwich, be thankful that the carbon dioxide escaped.

Hope You Enjoyed This Issue 😊

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