Hedwig Pöllöläinen
grrlscientist
Posts by this author
October 14, 2009
Today was another day spent entirely on the telephone, talking to people and clearing up my misunderstandings (or theirs) about this moving process. If you hate telephones, as I do, then today is one of those days that you avoid for as long as possible. Originally, I was going to reward myself for…
October 14, 2009
Image: wemidji (Jacques Marcoux).
Nam et ipsa scientia potestas est (And thus knowledge itself is power)
-- Sir Francis Bacon.
Have you read an especially good essay about psychology, behavior or neurobiology lately? If so, why not share it with the world by submitting the URL for this essay to…
October 14, 2009
tags: paddleboat, Helsinki, Finland, image of the day
Paddleboat on Helsinki waterfront.
Photographed in Helsinki, Finland.
Image: GrrlScientist, 5 July 2009 [larger view]. (raw image)
October 14, 2009
tags: American Pipit, Anthus rubescens, birds, mystery bird, bird ID quiz
[Mystery bird] American Pipit, Anthus rubescens, photographed at Brazoria National Wildlife Refuge, southwestern Texas. [I will identify this bird for you in 48 hours]
Image: Joseph Kennedy, 30 January 2007 [larger view].…
October 13, 2009
tags: honeybee life cycle, natural history, insects, biology, streaming video
The life cycle of a honey bee is presented in this video as an example of complete metamorphosis, the development of an insect from egg to larva, then pupa, then adult. Moths, butterflies and wasps also develop with…
October 13, 2009
Today was a breakthrough because I view everything very differently than I did yesterday or three days ago, and because I made significant progress towards my goal. In fact, I made so much progress today that I even decided upon a tentative target departure week that I am working towards (I've even…
October 13, 2009
tags: DonorsChoose, science education, teaching, fund-raising, poverty
National Wildlife Refuges Week (11-17 October 2009) has is half over already, but we've made good progress because four projects in my "Biology is Life" Challenge have been fully funded! The teachers for each project have…
October 13, 2009
tags: Rautatientori, Helsinki, Finland, image of the day
The Sun doesn't go down on a Helsinki Summer Day.
Photographed in Helsinki, Finland.
Image: GrrlScientist, 5 July 2009 [larger view]. (raw image)
October 13, 2009
tags: Olive Sparrow, Arremonops rufivirgatus, birds, mystery bird, bird ID quiz
[Mystery bird] Olive Sparrow, Arremonops rufivirgatus, photographed at Santa Ana Wildlife Refuge, Alamo, Texas. [I will identify this bird for you in 48 hours]
Image: Joseph Kennedy, 4 April 2008 [larger view].…
October 13, 2009
tags: hummingbird, physics, science, surface tension, Keith Johnson, streaming video
A flying hummingbird flaps its wings up to 70 times per second (its heart rate can reach 1,260 beats per minute). This video slows down a flying hummingbird so we can watch how it flies and hovers in front of a…
October 12, 2009
tags: soap bubble science, physics, science, surface tension, Keith Johnson, streaming video
This is a really interesting video about soap bubbles -- how they work and what we can do with them. The slow motion footage of a bursting bubble is especially interesting to watch.
October 12, 2009
After experiencing astonishing frustration levels, I decided that relocating overseas is just like finishing the PhD, except it's far more confusing and there's no clear authority figure (like an adviser, a departmental chair or a dean) to appeal to when everything goes to hell. But I have to do…
October 12, 2009
Image: wemidji (Jacques Marcoux).
Nam et ipsa scientia potestas est (And thus knowledge itself is power)
-- Sir Francis Bacon.
Would you like to share your excellent writing about science, nature or medicine with the world? Now you can! There is a blog carnival that celebrates the best writing…
October 12, 2009
tags: chocolate-covered licorice, Seurasaari, Helsinki, Finland, image of the day
Photographed in Helsinki, Finland, after walking to Seurasaari and back.
Image: GrrlScientist, 4 July 2009 [larger view]. (raw image)
I finished writing a book review on deadline that I am proud of for Nature…
October 12, 2009
tags: Birds in the News, BirdNews, ornithology, birds, avian, newsletter
Zebra Finch, Poephila guttata.
Image: orphaned [larger view].
Birds in Science
Low-quality females prefer low-quality males, at least in the avian world. This is according to research published in the Royal Society journal…
October 12, 2009
tags: DonorsChoose, science education, teaching, fund-raising, poverty
Nobel Prize week has ended wonderfully: four projects that I included in my "Biology is Life" Challenge have been fully funded! The teachers for each project have posted thank you letters that you can read here: The Viking…
October 12, 2009
tags: Brewer's Blackbird, Euphagus cyanocephalus, birds, mystery bird, bird ID quiz
[Mystery bird] Female Brewer's Blackbird, Euphagus cyanocephalus, photographed at Bodega Bay, California. [I will identify this bird for you in 48 hours]
Image: Joseph Kennedy, 23 December 2007 [larger view].…
October 12, 2009
tags: marriage, love, relationships, sex, commitment, Chris Brickler, How Will We Love?, Chris Brickler, streaming video
Chris Brickler made a documentary about love and marriage. In this video, How Will We Love?, he starts by interviewing his grandparents who have been married for 68 years and…
October 11, 2009
tags: garbage patch, Pacific Ocean, environment, science, Scripps Institute, streaming video
Scripps scientist Miriam Goldstein talks about the SEAPLEX expedition to the North Pacific Gyre and how shocked she was to find the amount of plastic on the ocean's surface when floating around in a skiff.
October 11, 2009
Image: wemidji (Jacques Marcoux).
Nam et ipsa scientia potestas est (And thus knowledge itself is power)
-- Sir Francis Bacon.
When you go hiking or sailing or stargazing, why not consider writing about your experience of nature and sharing it with the world? Or maybe you are watching an ant's…
October 11, 2009
tags: 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…
October 11, 2009
tags: Tractrac Chat, Layard's Chat, Cercomela tractrac, birds, mystery bird, bird ID quiz
[Mystery bird] Tractrac Chat, also known as the Layard's Chat, Cercomela tractrac, photographed in Swakopmund, Namibia, Africa [I will identify this bird for you in 48 hours]
Image: Dennis Paulson, April…
October 11, 2009
tags: atheist life, godlessness, Imagine, streaming video
This video is a list of famous people who are atheists, put together for a school project and using John Lennon's song "Imagine" as the background music.
October 10, 2009
tags: atheist life, godlessness, streaming video
Being an atheist, you believe that this is the only life, and live it to the fullest. Atheists and skeptics lack proof and evidence of certain deities and spiritual beliefs. So there is no intent for us to harshly bash other religions and forms, for…
October 10, 2009
Image: wemidji (Jacques Marcoux).
Nam et ipsa scientia potestas est (And thus knowledge itself is power)
-- Sir Francis Bacon.
Instead of passively watching football games this weekend, why not write about the physics of football so everyone can enjoy the games alongside you? The Blog Carnival…
October 10, 2009
tags: Cape Raven, African White-necked Raven, White-naped Raven, Corvus albicollis, birds, mystery bird, bird ID quiz
[Mystery bird] A pair of White-naped Ravens, also known as the Cape Raven or the African White-necked Raven, Corvus albicollis, photographed while playing at just under 15000 feet…
October 10, 2009
tags: art, humor, satire, The Big Snit, Canadian cartoon, streaming video
Here's another peculiar yet amusing Canadian cartoon that I only just saw for the first time: The Big Snit by Richard Conde.
October 9, 2009
tags: Obama family, miserable Americans, comedy, humor, satire, funny, ONN, Onion News Network, streaming video
This daring news interview with the nations' top thinkers comes right out and says what we've all mumbled under our breath to ourselves in the privacy of the unemployment line: the Obamas…
October 9, 2009
I was so upset about the likelihood that I would spend the next six months (or probably longer) trapped in a bureaucratic cesspool of confusion and conflicting information whilst spending thousands of dollars on rent, penalties and veterinary bills, that I was ready to do something drastic. So I…
October 9, 2009
tags: Macleay's Kingfisher, Blue Kingfisher, Bush Kingfisher, Forest Kingfisher, Todiramphus macleayii, birds, mystery bird, bird ID quiz
[Mystery bird] Forest Kingfisher, also known as Macleay's Kingfisher, Blue Kingfisher or Bush Kingfisher, Todiramphus macleayii, photographed at Mossman,…