Dang, That's Cool!

A boy and his father have recently discovered an extremely well preserved fossil in South Africa. It has been dated to 1.9 million years old and is suspected of being a member of a new species of human ancestor. Here’s the CBS article:  Link!

Also check out the 60 minutes coverage for a great look at the fossil itself as well as conversations with its discoverers and other paleontologists: Link!!!

Pebble plants (Lithops salicola) among rocks. What distinguishes one from the other?

What is it, exactly, that makes a thing alive? Why do we call a rabbit alive, but not a rock? Here’s a little dialog to help clarify the problem. This is hardly comprehensive and I reserve the right to make sweeping edits in the future! But here it is, just below the fold: Read the rest of this entry »

The man himself! Sir David Attenborough.

The unparalleled naturalist David Attenborough has participated in a huge number of fantastic nature documentaries over the year, and it turns out a fair number of these are available on youtube! Having stumbled on these yesterday and spent several hours enjoying them, I felt compelled to share them with you, the public hungry for knowledge!

Youtube user akhilind has posted many of these videos so I direct you to this person’s channel. He’s got the Private Life of Plants, which makes extensive use of time lapse photography to bring slow (but fascinating!) plant behavior into the realm of human perception. He’s got the classic Planet Earth, a practically pornographic (in the lushness of the visuals, I mean!) look at our planet from pole to pole. He’s got Blue Planet, which focuses on the watery parts of our globe. He’s also got a wide variety of other documentaries, with the emphasis seeming to be on environmental preservation and appreciation. So give it a look!

As a personal recommendation, let me suggest the episode of the Private Life of Plants called Flowering, which provides many many examples of unique and wonderful flower/pollinator relationships. Here’s the link: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=r96hhTmNCX0

[[EDIT: These episodes of the Private Life of Plants have been taken down as of Feb. 20, 2010. Try user shienlen for some the regulators seem to have missed (http://www.youtube.com/user/shienlen).]]

Now keep in mind this is just one person’s channel! There are many other users who have uploaded many other entertaining and informative videos from all kinds of different productions. Just search around for a topic of interest and you’re sure to find some material you’ll enjoy. Youtube is an excellent resource for education, and if you can for a moment gently push aside the videos of obese men eating pizza or small mammals rapidly turning their heads, you can discover a treasure trove of wonderful things. Sometimes people complain that the internet is not used to its full potential as an information disseminating medium, but that is hardly the fault of the internet! It’s simply ours. The material is there, waiting to be viewed. It’s only up to us to click the link!

So go look! Go on! I promise you’ll find something you like.

-Neil

Ooooh, Johnny, lay another dose of those sweet scientific sounds on me! The new track is titled “The Unbroken Thread,” and it features David Attenborough, Carl Sagan, and Jane Goodall. Here it is:

Until next time!

-Neil

Two majestic marine mammals

Greetings, faithful blog readers!  My name is Sam and I’m going to take you on a fascinating tour of the animal kingdom over my next few posts, as well as whatever other scientific topics strike my fancy.  Today, I’d like to talk about our fishy friends, the whales (not actually fish, though we’re sure you knew that), and the fascinating topic of animal intelligence.

Everyone knows that the dolphins at SeaWorld can learn tricks, but the assumed limits of whale intelligence are being shattered regularly.  Dolphins are capable of recognizing their own reflections (a sign of self-awareness), singing the “Batman” theme song (reproducing rhythm and pitch) and most recently, hunting with sponges to protect their noses (tool usage).  Clearly, the cognitive ability of our marine amigos is not to be underestimated! Read the rest of this entry »

Just look at him. As majestic as the Milky Way.

Holy Moley did I cry with joy when I learned this. Our friends at Hulu have put up all thirteen episodes of Carl Sagan’s magnum opus, Cosmos. If you’re unfamiliar with Cosmos, it’s an awesome series. Sagan explores a different topic each episode, outlining a particular feature of our wonderful universe with his characteristic awe and infectious enthusiasm. Stars, galaxies, the formation of the Earth? The origins of the elements, the subtleties of star death? You’ll find it here! I whole heartedly recommend you watch every single episode. Dang, it’s just so cool!
Go now! Go and be entertained and educated!

-Neil

The Earth, my home and yours. It looks lonely, doesn't it?

I recently received an email. It’s a good one, and the discussion it concerns is important.

Sam writes:

Hey guys,

I really enjoyed the Hubble post.  That was a pretty amazing video!  Between that, and seeing “District 9″ this weekend, I was wondering what you thought the odds are that we are alone in the universe?

Thanks,

Sam

Read the rest of this entry »

The moon! Photo by Luc Viatour.

Hello! I’m sorry for the drought of posts these past few days. Let me try to make it up to you with two great posts at once! Wow! I want to answer two questions I received in emails (dangthatscool@gmail.com). If I continue to receive emails on a regular basis, I’ll make this a regular sort of post. A kind of grab-bag. If I get emails with enough regularity, I might even be able to make it a weekly feature! Grab-bag Tuesday, or something. Anyway, here goes. Read the rest of this entry »