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

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 »

A flashlight fish, one of the many denizens of the deep.

Top DTC reporter Sam alerted me this morning to a press release by the Census of Marine Life with some new photos of deep sea critters. Go to their site and have a look! The organization has lots of photos of amazing creatures, and video too!

There’s some seriously cool stuff down there.

-Neil

The sun. It's big, hot, and apparently, occasionally subject to some serious turbulence.

Scientists at NASA have confirmed earlier observations of wavelike events on the solar surface as being truly stellar tsunamis. NASA is good at putting out really great press releases, and they know a heck of a lot more about this than I do, so I’m just going to point you to their site. Make sure you check out the videos!

The sun is awesome. “Some matter in a ball,” indeed.

-Neil

An 1833 depiction of the Leonid Meteor Shower.

Thousands of you are coming here for information on the shower, but I don’t have a post up about today’s event! So here it is!

The Leonid Meteor shower occurs every year when Earth passes through the cloud of debris left behind by the passage of the comet Temple-Tuttle. Specks of dust are rapidly heated upon contact with our atmosphere and glow spectacularly for a brief moment. If you want to catch a glimpse of our brush with this cometary dust cloud, tonight is a good night. Last night was technically the peak, but since the cloud of dust is fairly large, Leonid meteors should be visible tonight and tomorrow as well. Some folks have reported some brilliant displays, so if you’re awake you may as well take a look. In any case if you decide to check out the event, just find a nice spot with a good view of as much of the sky as possible. Make sure it’s dark and free from light pollution. Then relax on your back and enjoy the show! Oh – some additional viewing tips from someone who knows his stuff:

It’s more important to orient looking away from sources of light pollution – especially the moon if it’s up. If possible, orient so these light sources are blocked from your visual field by objects in your surroundings. This will encourage your pupils to open a bit wider, and allow seeing fainter meteors. Orient toward the holes in the clouds, if any. Orient so that the place where you are lying is comfortable. Aaahhh!

Have fun and dress warm!!

-Neil

You can spot the water, can't you?

And another layer of the cosmic onion is peeled back! Scientists from NASA’s LCROSS project have confirmed their previously hesitant assertion that water exists on our moon in the permanent shade of its impact craters. I’m going to defer to the public relations folks at NASA on this one and just send you to their press release, which contains nice charts and pictures to help bring the issue into focus.

So go ahead, and click this link!

I’m hardly qualified to speak on the full implications of the discovery of water on the moon, but I suppose I could outline at least one provocative point. The existence of water on the moon makes human settlement there far more simple. With accessible frozen water (and ample sunlight for hydrolysis), we have a source of oxygen (for breathing) and hydrogen (for fuel). We also of course have the water itself that can be melted and used for drinking or for any of the other myriad purposes water can fulfill. The moon is of course still relatively inhospitable, and I would not expect resorts to start springing up there any time soon, but the presence of frozen water does make the prospect of limited colonization or the establishment of permanent bases a bit more likely.

Until next time, Earthlings!

-Neil
P.S. The lovely photo of the moon was taken by Luc Viatour.

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

A 19th century engraving of a meteor shower. This image is earning its keep!

Listen up surface dwellers, because there’s not much time ! In just a few short hours, the Orionid meteor shower will be peaking! That’s right! The night of Tuesday, October 20th into the pre-dawn hours of Wednesday, October 21st is the time for curious humans to look upward and catch a glimpse of dusty leavings from Halley’s Comet streaking through our humble atmosphere! Get some blankets, some coffee, and some friends, orient yourself toward the constellation Orion, and enjoy! This sight comes but once a year.

-Neil