Free Republic

Bird-of-paradise flower pigment surprise. The ‘animal-only’ pigment bilirubin is discovered in plants by David Catchpoole Aside from the widely recognized shape of their flowers, which resemble the head of a tropical bird, bird-of-paradise plants (Strelitzia spp.) are admired for their vibrant floral coloration. The brilliant orange is even more intense on the furry outside of their seeds, and is able to persist for decades,1 unlike most plant pigments, which degrade rapidly after cell death.

Don’t let the door hit you on the way out, Jennifer . . . Washington Post columnist Jennifer Rubin has now joined with Joe Scarborough as a proud member of the Society of Ex-Republican Media Members. Appearing on Joy Reid’s MSNBC show this morning, Rubin declared: “It should be self-evident why I, and I think any reasonable person, can no longer identify with the Republican party.” Rubin was responding to a Republican commercial [see below] on immigration, highlighting the case of illegal immigrant Luis Bracamontes, accused of killing two police officers. Bracamontes bragged in court: “the only thing that I...