"Let men stew in their cities if they will.
It is in the lonely places,
in jungles and mountains,
in snows and fires,
in the still observatories and the silent laboratories,
in those secret and dangerous places where life probes into life,
it is there that the masters of the world,
the lords of the beast,
the rebel sons of Fate
come to their own."
-H.G. Wells
Monday, February 21, 2011
Random Thought of the Day
Sunday, February 20, 2011
Random Thought of the Day
A fellow blogger just posted this.
I learned some stuff. It was great. Learning is always great. Go learn something fun about urchin anatomy!
For example, I bet you didn't know that urchins poop from the tops of their heads!
Yeah, well, now you know!
Oh, and the gonads really do splooge all over the screen when you click them...
Best Urchin anatomy quiz ever!
I learned some stuff. It was great. Learning is always great. Go learn something fun about urchin anatomy!
For example, I bet you didn't know that urchins poop from the tops of their heads!
Yeah, well, now you know!
Oh, and the gonads really do splooge all over the screen when you click them...
Best Urchin anatomy quiz ever!
Saturday, February 19, 2011
Random Thought of the Day
I have absolutely no idea what is going on here.
Usually, I can formulate some kind of scientific reasoning for anything I view on YouTube, but this one has me COMPLETELY baffled.
Why on earth is that ladybug playing with those sprinkles?!?!
I only have one thought. Perhaps he thinks they're little aphids. Prey items.
So baffled.
Usually, I can formulate some kind of scientific reasoning for anything I view on YouTube, but this one has me COMPLETELY baffled.
Why on earth is that ladybug playing with those sprinkles?!?!
I only have one thought. Perhaps he thinks they're little aphids. Prey items.
So baffled.
Random Thought of the Day
Have you ever heard of Olympus Mons?
It's the largest mountain in the solar system. And it also happens to be the largest volcano in the solar system.
Oh, and it's on Mars, by the way.
It also happens to be so large that as you approach its summit, you wouldn't even notice that you're climbing a mountain at all. The average slope of Olympus Mons is only 5 degrees!
But if you're approaching the mountain from afar, you'll encounter the shield escarpment, a huge 5-mile-high wall!
It's just so freaking big!
That's what she said...
It's the largest mountain in the solar system. And it also happens to be the largest volcano in the solar system.
Oh, and it's on Mars, by the way.
 |
| Someone's got an acne problem... |
It also happens to be so large that as you approach its summit, you wouldn't even notice that you're climbing a mountain at all. The average slope of Olympus Mons is only 5 degrees!
But if you're approaching the mountain from afar, you'll encounter the shield escarpment, a huge 5-mile-high wall!
It's just so freaking big!
That's what she said...
Friday, February 18, 2011
Random Thought of the Day
Kiwis.
You've seen kiwis, right? Of course.
But did you know that...
Kiwi eggs can weigh up to a quarter of their body weight? These birds are about the size of chickens, but their eggs are generally six times larger than chicken eggs! This is the biggest egg-to-body size ratio of any animal in the world!
That would be like giving birth to a 40 pound baby.
Or, for those of you incapable of imagining birth, try this:
Imagine trying to poop out a whole watermelon.
Now imagine a watermelon five times larger...
Yikes.
But wait, there's more!
These birds have quite a few mammal-like traits. For example their feathers are loose and hair-like. And they have whiskers! And their nostrils are on the tips of their beaks (only birds in the world with this trait)! And they have a highly developed sense of smell (extremely rare for birds)! And they forage in through the undergrowth looking for worms and grubs! And they're nocturnal! And they burrow!
And these guys don't actually have wings. Their forelimbs have evolved into tiny little nubs! There's basically nothing left!
And they smell really bad. Some kiwi experts claim to locate new kiwi burrows using smell alone! Or they just train dogs to sniff them out (so they can better protect these endangered organisms, of course).
They're just sooo coool!!!
 |
| No...not those. |
You've seen kiwis, right? Of course.
But did you know that...
Kiwi eggs can weigh up to a quarter of their body weight? These birds are about the size of chickens, but their eggs are generally six times larger than chicken eggs! This is the biggest egg-to-body size ratio of any animal in the world!
That would be like giving birth to a 40 pound baby.
Or, for those of you incapable of imagining birth, try this:
Imagine trying to poop out a whole watermelon.
Now imagine a watermelon five times larger...
 |
| Or a 40 pound pumpkin/5-year-old? |
Yikes.
But wait, there's more!
These birds have quite a few mammal-like traits. For example their feathers are loose and hair-like. And they have whiskers! And their nostrils are on the tips of their beaks (only birds in the world with this trait)! And they have a highly developed sense of smell (extremely rare for birds)! And they forage in through the undergrowth looking for worms and grubs! And they're nocturnal! And they burrow!
And these guys don't actually have wings. Their forelimbs have evolved into tiny little nubs! There's basically nothing left!
And they smell really bad. Some kiwi experts claim to locate new kiwi burrows using smell alone! Or they just train dogs to sniff them out (so they can better protect these endangered organisms, of course).
They're just sooo coool!!!
Monday, February 14, 2011
Happy Valentine's Day
If biologists ruled the world, Valentines would regularly look like this:
And a few of my own creation, of course:
Hope you had a wonderful Valentine's Day!
And a few of my own creation, of course:
Hope you had a wonderful Valentine's Day!
Sunday, February 13, 2011
I'm a winner!
Oh hey. I won something!
Well, almost.
The University of Puget Sound has a photo contest every year for students who study abroad. Last year, I submitted 5 photos to the contest and the winners were finally announced this week!
I received honorable mention for two photographs in the "Most Artistic" category...whatever that means.
Check it out!
Here are some of the other photos I submitted to the contest. I think they're pretty great too.
You should check out the other winners as well! They're all amazing fotos!
Well, almost.
The University of Puget Sound has a photo contest every year for students who study abroad. Last year, I submitted 5 photos to the contest and the winners were finally announced this week!
I received honorable mention for two photographs in the "Most Artistic" category...whatever that means.
Check it out!
 |
| The blue Morpho butterfly, national symbol of Costa Rica and todo tranquilo. |
 |
| A Saturniid moth caterpillar crawling along my windowsill at the Biological Field Station where I lived during my stay in Monteverde. |
You should check out the other winners as well! They're all amazing fotos!
Saturday, February 12, 2011
Happy Birthday!
Today is Charles Darwin's 202nd birthday!
Happy birthday, Charles!
In case you're unfamiliar with this respectable gentleman, here are a few quick facts that might be of interest to you, dear reader.
Of course, as I'm sure you are aware, Darwin is the author of famous works such as On the Origin of the Species, Decent of Man and Selection in Relation to Sex, and Variation of Animals and Plants Under Domestication, and he is largely responsible for the development of the theory of evolution.
As I'm sure you are also aware, Darwin traveled around the world aboard the HMS Beagle collecting, observing and describing hundreds of species previously unknown to science, many of which have since taken his name such as Darwin's Finches.
However, did you know that Darwin originally collected these small brown-black birds without recording a single note about the locations they were collected? In fact, he had tossed them aside, thinking nothing of them. It wasn't until he presented his avian specimens to the ornithologist John Gould, that anyone realized the birds were different species.
Gould was probably like, "Ummm, hey D-win. Did you notice that these little finches are all different species? No? Wait, you didn't gather any data on them?! Epic fail Chuck. Epic fail..."
So Darwin scrambled and found a shipmate who had written down the locations and it was all good.
Perhaps they should be called Gould's finches?
Anywho. Charles still managed to develop his hypothesis on the variation and isolation of these and other species from his voyage and the Origin still became a worldwide best-seller!
Happy Birthday Chuck!
Happy birthday, Charles!
In case you're unfamiliar with this respectable gentleman, here are a few quick facts that might be of interest to you, dear reader.
Of course, as I'm sure you are aware, Darwin is the author of famous works such as On the Origin of the Species, Decent of Man and Selection in Relation to Sex, and Variation of Animals and Plants Under Domestication, and he is largely responsible for the development of the theory of evolution.
As I'm sure you are also aware, Darwin traveled around the world aboard the HMS Beagle collecting, observing and describing hundreds of species previously unknown to science, many of which have since taken his name such as Darwin's Finches.
However, did you know that Darwin originally collected these small brown-black birds without recording a single note about the locations they were collected? In fact, he had tossed them aside, thinking nothing of them. It wasn't until he presented his avian specimens to the ornithologist John Gould, that anyone realized the birds were different species.
Gould was probably like, "Ummm, hey D-win. Did you notice that these little finches are all different species? No? Wait, you didn't gather any data on them?! Epic fail Chuck. Epic fail..."
So Darwin scrambled and found a shipmate who had written down the locations and it was all good.
Perhaps they should be called Gould's finches?
Anywho. Charles still managed to develop his hypothesis on the variation and isolation of these and other species from his voyage and the Origin still became a worldwide best-seller!
Happy Birthday Chuck!
Friday, February 11, 2011
Random Thought of the Day
For your viewing pleasure and mind-boggling mental enrichment, here is a video displaying the awesome power of Mother Earth:
The Iceland volcano eruption from 2010. Note the lightning and massive boulders hurtling through the air.
Yeah, those are some badass natural forces right there.
The Iceland volcano eruption from 2010. Note the lightning and massive boulders hurtling through the air.
Yeah, those are some badass natural forces right there.
Wednesday, February 9, 2011
Random Thought of the Day
It has been such a long day/week, there is only one thing that could possibly make me feel better.
Kittens.
Playing and frolicking.
In slow motion.
Thank goodness for goodness like this.
Kittens.
Playing and frolicking.
In slow motion.
Thank goodness for goodness like this.
Monday, February 7, 2011
Random Thought of the Day
“Happy is the man whose lot it is to knowThe secrets of the earth.”
-Euripides
Sunday, February 6, 2011
Random Thought of the Day
Guess who showed up in the crazy creature compendium, the Ever So Strange Animal Almanac today?
Limax maximus, the Leopard slug!
If you've never been introduced to the wonder that is the Leopard slug, you clearly have never read Elements and you definitely have never fully lived.
This creature conducts the most astounding, death-defying sex acts in the animal kingdom.
Take a look:
Limax maximus, the Leopard slug!
If you've never been introduced to the wonder that is the Leopard slug, you clearly have never read Elements and you definitely have never fully lived.
This creature conducts the most astounding, death-defying sex acts in the animal kingdom.
Take a look:
Friday, February 4, 2011
Random Thought of the Day
Ever heard of a Hoatzin?
These birds are perhaps the strangest birds on the face of the planet. No joke.
The first record of these birds comes to us from the Spanish explorer Francisco Hernández who describes their morphology and also writes:
But that's not even the best part.
The Hoatzin is actually a foliovore (eats leaves) and has a semi-ruminant stomach (like a cow!).
But wait! There's MORE!
Baby Hoatzins have fingers! That's right. They have two claws on their wings that they use to swim and climb to avoid predators in the trees.
This unique ability prompted many scientists to suggest that the Hoatzin is a "link" between birds and reptiles.
Even today, the Hoatzin's place in the evolutionary bird tree is widely disputed and DNA analysis has only made the situation worse!
Such a cool critter!
These birds are perhaps the strangest birds on the face of the planet. No joke.
The first record of these birds comes to us from the Spanish explorer Francisco Hernández who describes their morphology and also writes:
The bones of this bird relieve the pain of wounds in any part of the human body; the odor of the plumage restores hope to those who, from any disease, are steadily wasting away. The ashes of the feathers when devoured relieve the Gallic sickness, acting in a wonderful manner...Yeah. That's right. They smell like hope. Pure, smelly hope.
But that's not even the best part.
The Hoatzin is actually a foliovore (eats leaves) and has a semi-ruminant stomach (like a cow!).
But wait! There's MORE!
Baby Hoatzins have fingers! That's right. They have two claws on their wings that they use to swim and climb to avoid predators in the trees.
This unique ability prompted many scientists to suggest that the Hoatzin is a "link" between birds and reptiles.
Even today, the Hoatzin's place in the evolutionary bird tree is widely disputed and DNA analysis has only made the situation worse!
Such a cool critter!
Thursday, February 3, 2011
Random Thought of the Day
Frazil Ice.
Never heard of it? Educate yo self!
It's actually a really beautiful and astounding phenomenon.
Check it out!
Oh how I love park rangers! Always full of so much knowledge!
Never heard of it? Educate yo self!
It's actually a really beautiful and astounding phenomenon.
Check it out!
Oh how I love park rangers! Always full of so much knowledge!
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