[HN Gopher] Lichens in cemetaries and a scientist who studies them
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       Lichens in cemetaries and a scientist who studies them
        
       Author : diodorus
       Score  : 18 points
       Date   : 2024-10-27 04:38 UTC (4 days ago)
        
 (HTM) web link (www.atlasobscura.com)
 (TXT) w3m dump (www.atlasobscura.com)
        
       | dn3500 wrote:
       | Original headline: A Cemetery's Immortal Residents and the
       | Scientist Who Studies Them
        
       | ilamont wrote:
       | There's a subculture of people who clean strangers' gravestones,
       | which often involves removing lichen. They are very particular
       | about the tools and chemicals used during the cleaning. Some also
       | reset broken stones.
       | 
       | You can see some before/after photos on Twitter
       | (https://twitter.com/search?q=clean%20gravestones&src=typed_q...)
       | as well as fast-motion videos on TikTok and Instagram. A few
       | people research public records to share more information about
       | the stones they are cleaning.
        
       | rhaps0dy wrote:
       | For a second I read liches, and was puzzled that they existed.
        
         | solardev wrote:
         | Me too, especially today!
        
       | Lance_ET_Compte wrote:
       | The last paragraphs of this article are brilliant...
       | 
       | > "It's not going to cure cancer, it's not going to bring world
       | peace, two things that we desperately need right now," she says.
       | 
       | "But I would argue that there is great value in understanding the
       | world [and] how biodiversity works so that we can preserve it,
       | which is an integral component of human health," says Pringle.
       | 
       | She adds: "It's not clear to me that the best way to repair the
       | world isn't sitting and watching lichens grow in a cemetery and
       | telling the world about it."
        
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       (page generated 2024-10-31 23:00 UTC)