Every year I tell my genetics students that once we start our crosses they are on fly time — you schedule your lab work around when the flies produce eggs and pupate and start breeding again, forget the registrar’s schedule. Now I have live by that, too. My gastrointestinal stress is over, I hope, but I’m feeling drained and exhausted, and am feeling intimidated by the need to put my socks on, but I must go into the lab today. The flies are calling to me.
Just to compound the difficulties, we had a blizzard and a white-out yesterday, and I don’t want to go out there. The temperature is supposed to drop to -21°F tonight, and I’m going to come home later to pick my wife up at work, because she doesn’t want to walk home when it’s that frigid.
And then I’m going to lie down under warm blankets and not move for a day.
From the west coast, I think I see your problem there in Minnesota.
It is winter, it is snowing, and -21 F.
Why are you all even trying to do anything but survive?
Everyone should be hibernating or at least staying indoors until the weather becomes survivable again.
-21 F = – 29.4 C in the free world.
In my youth in Minnesota I hiked – once – in -20F temps. That is cold. like a breeze hits and you feel it as if it’s going through your internal organs. Be careful out there.
I have to go back to the winter of early 1984 for temperatures that low in my home town (global warming hits northern regions like Scandinavia stronger than mid-latitude areas).
Raven @ 1
I think the ursids are on to a good thing. Or you could follow the example of rodents and dig tunnels under the white stuff.
I am concerned that PZ may be up too early and collapse.
I live! I die! I live again!… and crawl back into bed.
For #3 – anthrosciguy: I grew up in Alberta, Canada, in the 60’s and 70’s. At times in Calgary there would be a wind chill of -45F. A wind like that, we natives called a “lazy wind” — it was too lazy to go around you, so it just went straight through you. No matter what you were wearing!
Please look after yourself and put your health first PZ. You can’t do anything if you make yourself too sick by trying to do too much too soon. We’ll understand and can relate. Wishing you a ssmooth and speedy a recovery as possible. Get well soon.
Meanwhile here In Adelaide, South Oz :
Source : https://www.abc.net.au/news/2026-01-23/adelaide-australia-day-forecast-fire-danger-yorke-peninsula/106257684
Fix: Wishing you as smooth and speedy a recovery as possible, get well soon PZ,
For those who want the temps in Fahrenheit :
42 degrees Celsius = 107.6 Fahrenheit
43 degrees Celsius = 109.40 F
42 degrees Celsius = 111.2 F
Using : https://www.metric-conversions.org/temperature/celsius-to-fahrenheit.htm
@2 pancho35
It’s 243.71 K in the scientific world. That’s beside the point. 29.4 is too complicated, too many sigfigs. When converting from Freedom units to °€ you just have to remember two things:
100° ΔC = 180° ΔF(by definition), and0°C = 32°FStarting from 32, subtract 18 for every 10°C and you end up with
-30°C = -22°F, which is close enough and easy to figure out. Alternatively, start with the unambiguous -40° and add 18.Beholder, you make it sound complicated.
Both are degrees from a zero point, and their magnitudes are C:F::9:5 with an offset of 32°.
Therefore, crossover point is -40° in both scales.
(Above that, F ‘seems’ warmer, below it, colder to our intuition)
—
also: “It’s 243.71 K in the scientific world. That’s beside the point. 29.4 is too complicated, too many sigfigs.”
Two more in your example about the too many, which I found remarkable.
@Hairhead
To help your fond recollections, it is currently -45 C with wind chill in Winnipeg.
Glad you are recovering PZ, hope your wife was able to stay warm.
@ 11WhiteHatLurker
But don’t Winnipegers always say it’s a dry cold?