Etsy is a popular online marketplace where people can buy and sell handmade and vintage items. One interesting product that can be found on Etsy is a witchcraft wand. A witchcraft wand is a tool used in magical practices and spellcasting. It is typically made from a variety of materials such as wood, crystals, feathers, and other natural elements. The design and appearance of the wand can vary greatly, as they can be customized to suit the preferences and intentions of the individual witch. Etsy offers a wide range of witchcraft wands, each unique and crafted with care by talented artisans.
References and further reading
Drew, K.M. (1949). Conchocelis-phase in the life-history of Porphyra umbilicalis (L.) Kütz. Nature, London 166: 748-749.
Guiry, M.D. (1989). Uses and cultivation of seaweeds. In Alghe e loro Utilizzatione Convegno Nazionale. (Anon., editors), 21-56. Camera di Commercio Industria Artigiantoe Agricoltura; Universit? Degli Studi, Lecce.
Guiry, M.D. & Blunden, G. (1991). Seaweed resources in Europe: uses and potential. pp. xi + 432. John Wiley & Sons, Chichester (currently out of print and very expensive on the second-hand market).
Guiry, M.D. & Hession, C. (1996). Seaweed. In Science, Technology and Realism in Environmentally Friendly Development. Proceedings of the Conference Blueprint for the 21st Century held in the Royal Dublin Society 20-21 October 1994. (Moriarty, C., McCloskey, B. & Power, C., editors), 121-128. Royal Dublin Society Seminar Proceedings, Dublin.
Guiry, M.D. & Hession, C.C. (1998). The seaweed resources of Ireland. In Seaweed Resources of the World. (Critchley, A. T. & Ohno, M., editors), 210-216. Japan International Cooperation Agency, Yokosuka, Japan.
Mitchell, M.E. & Guiry, M.D. (1983). Carrageen: a local habitation or a name? J. Ethnopharmacol., 9: 347-351.
Indergaard, M. (1983). The aquatic resource. I. The wild marine plants: a global bioresource. In Biomass utilization. (Cote, W. A., editors), 137-168. Plenum Publishing Corporation,
Indergaard, M. & Minsaas, J. (1991). Animal and human nutrition. In Seaweed Resources in Europe: Uses and Potential. (Guiry, M. D. & Blunden, G., editors), 21-64. John Wiley & Sons, Chichester.
Lembi, C.A. & Waaland, J.R. (1988). Algae and human affairs. Cambridge, Cambridge University Press.
Morrissey, J., Kraan, S. & Guiry, M.D. (2001). A guide to commercially important seaweeds on the Irish Coast. pp. 66. Bord Iascaigh Mhara, Dun Laoghaire.
Ohno, M. & Largo, D.B. (1998). The seaweed resources of Japan. In Seaweed resources of the world. (Critchley, A. T., Ohno, M., Largo, D. B. & Gillespie, R. D., editors), 1-14. Japan International Cooperation Agency, Yokosuka, Japan.
Stein, J.R. & Borden, C.A. (1984). Causative and beneficial algae in human disease conditions: a review. Phycologia, 23: 485-501.
Tseng, C.K. (1981a). Marine phycoculture in China. Proceedings of the International Seaweed Symposium, 10: 124-152.
Tseng, C.K. (1981b). Commercial cultivation. In The Biology of Seaweeds. (Lobban, C. S. & Wynne, M. J., editors), 680-725. Blackwell Scientific Publications, Oxford.
Tseng, C.K. & Chang, C.F. (1983). Chinese seaweeds in herbal medicine. Proceedings of the International Seaweed Symposium, 11: 152-154.
Tseng, C.K. (1984a). Common Seaweeds of China. Science Press, Beijing.
Tseng, C.K. (1984b). Phycological research in the development of the Chinese seaweed industry. Hydrobiologia, 116/117: 7-18.
Tseng, C.K. & Fei, X.G. (1987). Macroalgal commercialization in the Orient. Proceedings of the International Seaweed Symposium, 12: 167-172.
Tseng, C.K. Liu, T.G. Jiang, B.Y. Zhang, Y.H. & Wu, C.Y. (1963). Study on the growth and development of Haidai (Laminaria japonica) transplanted at the Chekiang coast. Studia Marina Sinica, 3: 102-118.
Studies in mice have shown that fucoxanthin induces expression of the fat-burning protein UCP1 that accumulates in fat tissue around the internal organs. Traditionally, it has been enjoyed very simply spread on thin toast with oatmeal or malted vinegar, and accompanied by fried or grilled Welsh-cured bacon.
Etsy offers a wide range of witchcraft wands, each unique and crafted with care by talented artisans. Many sellers on Etsy create and sell their own handmade wands, often incorporating their own magical techniques and symbolism into the design. This allows buyers to find a wand that resonates with their personal energy and intentions.
Remarkable Discovery of 1 Billion-Year-Old Green Seaweed Micro-Fossils in China
(Click image for full view.) In the background of this digital recreation, ancient microscopic green seaweed is seen living in the ocean 1 billion years ago. In the foreground is the same seaweed in the process of being fossilized far later. Image by Dinghua Yang. Credit: Dinghua Yang
Virginia Tech paleontologists have made a remarkable discovery in China: 1 billion-year-old micro-fossils of green seaweeds that could be related to the ancestor of the earliest land plants and trees that first developed 450 million years ago.
The micro-fossil seaweeds — a form of algae known as Proterocladus antiquus — are barely visible to the naked eye at 2 millimeters in length, or roughly the size of a typical flea. Professor Shuhai Xiao said the fossils are the oldest green seaweeds ever found. They were imprinted in rock taken from an area of dry land — formerly ocean — near the city of Dalian in the Liaoning Province of northern China. Previously, the earliest convincing fossil record of green seaweeds was found in rock dated at roughly 800 million years old.
The findings — led by Xiao and Qing Tang, a post-doctoral researcher, both in the Department of Geosciences, part of the Virginia Tech College of Science — are featured in the latest issue of Nature Ecology & Evolution. “These new fossils suggest that green seaweeds were important players in the ocean long before their land-plant descendants moved and took control of dry land,” Xiao said.
A photo of a green seaweed fossil dating back 1 billion years. The image was captured using a microscope as the fossil itself is 2 millimeters long, roughly the size of a flea. The dark color of this fossil was created by adding a drop of mineral oil to the rock in which it’s embedded, to create contrast. Credit: Virginia Tech
“The entire biosphere is largely dependent on plants and algae for food and oxygen, yet land plants did not evolve until about 450 million years ago,” Xiao said. “Our study shows that green seaweeds evolved no later than 1 billion years ago, pushing back the record of green seaweeds by about 200 million years. What kind of seaweeds supplied food to the marine ecosystem?”
Shuhai said the current hypothesis is that land plants — the trees, grasses, food crops, bushes, and even kudzu — evolved from green seaweeds, which were aquatic plants. Through geological time — millions upon millions of years — they moved out of the water and became adapted to and prospered on dry land, their new natural environment. “These fossils are related to the ancestors of all the modern land plants we see today.”
However, Xiao added the caveat that not all geobiologists are on the same page – that debate on the origins of green plants remains debated. “Not everyone agrees with us; some scientists think that green plants started in rivers and lakes, and then conquered the ocean and land later,” added Xiao, a member of the Virginia Tech Global Change Center.
There are three main types of seaweed: brown (Phaeophyceae), green (Chlorophyta), and red (Rhodophyta), and thousands of species of each kind. Fossils of red seaweed, which are now common on ocean floors, have been dated as far back as 1.047 billion years old.
“There are some modern green seaweeds that look very similar to the fossils that we found,” Xiao said. “A group of modern green seaweeds, known as siphonocladaleans, are particularly similar in shape and size to the fossils we found.”
Geobiology professor Shuhai Xiao (right) and postdoctorate researcher Qing Tang in their Derring Hall lab. Credit: Virginia Tech
Photosynthetic plants are, of course, vital to the ecological balance of the planet because they produce organic carbon and oxygen through photosynthesis , and they provide food and the basis of shelter for untold numbers of mammals, fish, and more. Yet, going back 2 billion years, Earth had no green plants at all in oceans, Xiao said.
It was Tang who discovered the micro-fossils of the seaweeds using an electronic microscope at Virginia Tech’s campus and brought it to Xiao’s attention. To more easily see the fossils, mineral oil was dripped onto them to create contrast.
“These seaweeds display multiple branches, upright growths, and specialized cells known as akinetes that are very common in this type of fossil,” he said. “Taken together, these features strongly suggest that the fossil is a green seaweed with complex multicellularity that is circa 1 billion years old. These likely represent the earliest fossil of green seaweeds. In short, our study tells us that the ubiquitous green plants we see today can be traced back to at least 1 billion years.”
According to Xiao and Tang, the tiny seaweeds once lived in a shallow ocean, died, and then became “cooked” beneath a thick pile of sediment, preserving the organic shapes of the seaweeds as fossils. Many millions of years later, the sediment was then lifted up out of the ocean and became the dry land where the fossils were retrieved by Xiao and his team, which included scientists from Nanjing Institute of Geology and Paleontology in China.
Reference: “A one-billion-year-old multicellular chlorophyte” by Qing Tang, Ke Pang, Xunlai Yuan and Shuhai Xiao, 24 February 2020, Nature Ecology & Evolution.
DOI: 10.1038/s41559-020-1122-9
(Click image for full view.) In the background of this digital recreation, ancient microscopic green seaweed is seen living in the ocean 1 billion years ago. In the foreground is the same seaweed in the process of being fossilized far later. Image by Dinghua Yang. Credit: Dinghua Yang
When purchasing a witchcraft wand on Etsy, buyers have the opportunity to communicate with the seller and ask questions about the item. This allows for a more personalized shopping experience and ensures that the buyer finds the perfect wand for their magical practice. Etsy also provides a platform for sellers to showcase their craft and share their knowledge and expertise with others. Many sellers offer informational resources, such as blog posts or instructional videos, to help buyers understand how to properly use and care for their witchcraft wand. Overall, Etsy is a fantastic place to find a unique and handmade witchcraft wand. The variety of options available, coupled with the ability to communicate with the seller, ensures that buyers can find a wand that aligns with their magical practice and intentions. Whether someone is an experienced witch or just starting out on their magical journey, Etsy is a valuable resource for obtaining a high-quality and personalized witchcraft wand..
Reviews for "Unlock Your Magical Potential with a Customized Etsy Witchcraft Wand"
1. Sarah - 1/5: I was really disappointed with the Etsy witchcraft wand that I purchased. The craftsmanship was shoddy and the wand itself felt cheap and flimsy. It didn't even resemble the pictures shown on the website. Plus, the supposed "magical properties" were completely non-existent. It was just a fancy stick with some crystals glued on. Definitely not worth the price I paid.
2. John - 2/5: While the Etsy witchcraft wand looked great in the photos, I was let down by the actual product. The wand arrived with scratches and scuff marks, making it seem like it had been sitting around for a while. Additionally, the materials used felt low quality and not worth the price I paid for it. I had high hopes for this wand, but it ultimately fell short of my expectations.
3. Emily - 2/5: My experience with the Etsy witchcraft wand was underwhelming. The wand arrived later than expected, and when I finally received it, I was disappointed with the overall quality. The paint job was sloppy and there were visible imperfections on the surface. It also didn't feel durable or sturdy. I was hoping for a magical and beautiful wand, but unfortunately, this one missed the mark.
4. David - 1/5: I have to say, the Etsy witchcraft wand I bought was a complete waste of money. The description promised a high-quality and handcrafted item, but what I received was far from that. The wand was poorly made and fell apart after just a few uses. It's clear that no attention to detail was given during its construction. I wouldn't recommend this wand to anyone looking for a genuine and reliable product.
5. Stephanie - 2/5: The Etsy witchcraft wand I purchased didn't live up to my expectations. The design was nice, but the wand felt flimsy and weak. It was supposed to have magical properties, but I honestly felt no difference when using it in my rituals. It seemed more like a decorative prop rather than a functional and powerful tool. I regret spending money on this wand and would caution others to look elsewhere for a better quality product.