grrlscientist | September 28, 2009tags: nature, mammals, Antarctica, blue whale, Balaenoptera musculus, National Geographic, streaming video
Researchers on a National Geographic expedition seek answer some mysteries surrounding Blue Whales, Balaenoptera musculus, and find tantalizing clues, but big questions remain unanswered.
grrlscientist | September 27, 2009tags: nature, birds, New Guinea, Black Sickle Bill Bird of Paradise, Epimachus fastuosus, Bruce Beehler, streaming video
This streaming video is a clip from 60 Minutes where Bob Simon and Bruce Beehler, a scientist from Conservation International, head off into the New Guinea wilderness in search of the Black Sickle Bill Bird of Paradise, Epimachus fastuosus, and -- amazingly -- the cameramen capture video of this species's rarely seen courtship dance.
My life-long dream has been to explore untouched parts of the world. Ever since I read Alfred Wallace's Malay Archipelago, as a child, I've…
grrlscientist | September 27, 2009tags: landscape, Seurasaari, Helsinki, Finland, image of the day
Looking out over the water from Seurasaari (Helsinki, Finland).
Image: GrrlScientist, 4 July 2009 [larger view]. (raw image)
grrlscientist | September 27, 2009
Image: wemidji (Jacques Marcoux).
Nam et ipsa scientia potestas est (And thus knowledge itself is power)
-- Sir Francis Bacon.
Scientia Pro Publica (Science for the People) was just published recently at Lab Rat. This edition is entitled Scientia Pro Publica -- 12th edition.
Scientia Pro Publica (Science for the People) is a traveling blog carnival that celebrates the best science, nature and medical writing targeted specifically to the public that has been published in the blogosphere within the past 60 days.
The host for the upcoming 5 October edition will be me. To send your…
grrlscientist | September 27, 2009tags: Birdbooker Report, bird books, animal books, natural history books, ecology books
"How does one distinguish a truly civilized nation from an aggregation of
barbarians? That is easy. A civilized country produces much good bird
literature."
--Edgar Kincaid
The Birdbooker Report is a special weekly report of a wide variety of science, nature and behavior books that currently are, or soon will be available for purchase. This report is written by one of my Seattle birding pals and book collector, Ian "Birdbooker" Paulsen, and is edited by me and published here for your information and…
grrlscientist | September 27, 2009tags: Scarlet-tufted Malachite Sunbird, Nectarinia johnstoni, birds, mystery bird, bird ID quiz
[Mystery bird] Scarlet-tufted Malachite Sunbird, Nectarinia johnstoni, photographed on Mt Kilimanjaro, Tanzania, Africa. [I will identify this bird for you in 48 hours]
Image: Dan Logen, 27 August 2007 [larger view].
Nikon D2X, 70-200 VR Nikon lens, at 200 mm. ISO 200, f/5.6 1/320 sec.
Note the size of the heather that grows on Mt. Kilimanjaro!
Please name at least one field mark that supports your identification.
Review all mystery birds to date.
grrlscientist | September 27, 2009tags: atheists, atheism, famous atheists, satire, zakiechan, streaming video
This video is NOT an argument for atheism... It's a defense of atheists from right-wing religious -- christian, muslim, jewish and other fundamentalist -- hate-mongers. This video received the award for "Excellence in Humanist Communications" from the Harvard University Humanist Chaplaincy.
grrlscientist | September 26, 2009tags: religion, Bible, humor, satire, Dara O'Briain, streaming video
Comedian Dara O'Briain provides a few comedic insights on on God and the Bible. Video clip taken from Live at the Theatre Royal 2006.
grrlscientist | September 26, 2009tags: flowers, Seurasaari, Helsinki, Finland, image of the day
A mystery flower Lesser Stitchwort, Stellaria graminea, photographed on Seurasaari (Helsinki, Finland).
Image: GrrlScientist, 4 July 2009 [larger view]. (raw image)
grrlscientist | September 26, 2009tags: Yellow-bellied Sunbird, Nectarinia jugularis, birds, mystery bird, bird ID quiz
[Mystery bird] Yellow-bellied Sunbird, Nectarinia jugularis, photographed at Mossman, Queensland, Australia. [I will identify this bird for you in 48 hours]
Image: Steve Duncan, 25 August 2009 [larger view].
Nikon D200 w/ Nikkor 300mm f/4 1/640 sec, f/4 iso 400.
Please name at least one field mark that supports your identification.
Review all mystery birds to date.
grrlscientist | September 26, 2009
Image: wemidji (Jacques Marcoux).
Nam et ipsa scientia potestas est (And thus knowledge itself is power)
-- Sir Francis Bacon.
Scientia Pro Publica (Science for the People) was just published recently at Lab Rat. This edition is entitled Scientia Pro Publica -- 12th edition.
Scientia Pro Publica (Science for the People) is a traveling blog carnival that celebrates the best science, nature and medical writing targeted specifically to the public that has been published in the blogosphere within the past 60 days.
The host for the upcoming 5 October edition will be me. To send your…
grrlscientist | September 25, 2009tags: Times Square, NYC, New York City, billboards, NYCLife, culture, streaming video
You're being punked whenever you walk into NYC's Times Square: for example, the massive LED billboards assaulting your eyeballs are much higher res closer to ground than they are up top. This, and other discoveries are revealed in this interesting video interview.
grrlscientist | September 25, 2009tags: nature, Seurasaari, Helsinki, Finland, image of the day
A view of the Seurasaari beach (Helsinki, Finland).
Image: GrrlScientist, 4 July 2009 [larger view]. (raw image)
grrlscientist | September 25, 2009tags: Earth Overshoot Day, environment, education
[larger view]
Today is Earth Overshoot Day. This is the day when humanity will begin placing more demands on the planet's resources -- from filtering CO2 to producing food, fiber and timber -- than the planet can provide in this year. From this day forward until the end of the year, people will meet our demand for ecological services by depleting resource stocks and accumulating carbon dioxide in the atmosphere.
The global economic crash has one positive thing to recommend it: according to the Global Footprint Network, our use of world…
grrlscientist | September 25, 2009tags: Ring-necked Pheasant, Phasianus colchicus, birds, mystery bird, bird ID quiz
[Mystery bird] Ring-necked Pheasant, Phasianus colchicus, photographed in Lyman County, South Dakota. [I will identify this bird for you in 48 hours]
Image: Terry Sohl, 1 February 2005 [larger view]
Please name at least one field mark that supports your identification.
Review all mystery birds to date.
grrlscientist | September 25, 2009tags: spider silk, Madagascar, tapestry, textile art, AMNH, American Museum of Natural History, NYC, streaming video
A spectacular and extremely rare textile, woven from golden-colored silk thread produced by more than one million spiders in Madagascar is now on display at the American Museum of Natural History in the Grand Gallery.
Drawing on the legacy of a French missionary, Jacob Paul Camboué, this contemporary textile measures 11 feet by 4 feet and took four years to make using a painstaking technique.
Hear from Dr. Ian Tattersall, Curator, Division of Anthropology at AMNH, as well as…
grrlscientist | September 24, 2009tags: Twatif?, twitter, workplace, strange, offbeat, culture, streaming video
So..... what if you were restricted in the real world to only 140 characters and spaces? The office might be a sticky place .. The rumor is that this video is funny .. but you be the judge.
What's with the "di" sound when the guy supposedly meant to say "dumb"?
grrlscientist | September 24, 2009
Image: wemidji (Jacques Marcoux).
Nam et ipsa scientia potestas est (And thus knowledge itself is power)
-- Sir Francis Bacon.
Scientia Pro Publica (Science for the People) was just published recently at Lab Rat. This edition is entitled Scientia Pro Publica -- 12th edition.
Scientia Pro Publica (Science for the People) is a traveling blog carnival that celebrates the best science, nature and medical writing targeted specifically to the public that has been published in the blogosphere within the past 60 days.
The host for the upcoming 5 October edition will be me. To send your…
grrlscientist | September 24, 2009
Image: courtesy of Bob O'Hara, author of Deep Thoughts and Silliness.
Vote for me here.
grrlscientist | September 24, 2009tags: nature, Seurasaari, Helsinki, Finland, image of the day
A tree behind the Seurasaari Ravintola (Helsinki, Finland).
Image: GrrlScientist, 4 July 2009 [larger view]. (raw image)