Nature
grrlscientist | February 4, 2009tags: Golden Rays, cow nosed rays, Rhinoptera steindachneri, Sandra Critelli, image of the day
Golden (cow nosed) Rays, Rhinoptera steindachneri, gathering off the northern tip of the Yucatan Peninsula, near the coast of Mexico. This spectacular scene was captured as the magnificent creatures made one of their biannual mass migrations to more agreeable waters.
Image: Sandra Critelli [larger view].
Looking like giant leaves floating in the sea, thousands of Golden Ray s are seen here gathering off the coast of Mexico. The spectacular scene was captured as the magnificent creatures made one…
awild | February 4, 2009
The blue-green iridescence on these Iridomyrmex purpureus workers shines from microscopic sculpturing on the ants' cuticle.
I've never taken to the Australian vernacular for one of their most conspicuous insects. The latin Iridomyrmex purpureus translates as "purple rainbow ant", referring both to the base color of the body and to the attractive metallic refractions on the cuticle. But Aussies instead call this colorful species the "meat ant." Crass by comparison.
On the other hand, it'd probably not do my reputation of masculine bravado much good were I to stroll into a dusty pub in…
grrlscientist | February 3, 2009tags: Golden Rays, cow nosed rays, Rhinoptera steindachneri, Sandra Critelli, image of the day
Golden (cow nosed) Rays, Rhinoptera steindachneri, gathering off the northern tip of the Yucatan Peninsula, near the coast of Mexico. This spectacular scene was captured as the magnificent creatures made one of their biannual mass migrations to more agreeable waters.
Image: Sandra Critelli [larger view].
Looking like giant leaves floating in the sea, thousands of Golden Ray s are seen here gathering off the coast of Mexico. The spectacular scene was captured as the magnificent creatures made one…
awild | February 2, 2009Where do all the cool kids hang out?
The Nature Blog Network, apparently. NBN hosts a directory of science/nature blogs sorted by category and traffic rank.  It's a great place to trawl for new reading fodder.
grrlscientist | February 2, 2009tags: glaciers, global warming, Alaska, environment, streaming video
Tom Gaylord's glacier photos tell a story, in pictures, about Alaska's beautiful but dwindling glaciers. These photos, along with a brief in-flight helicopter movie, were taken in June 2006. The rapid retreat of glaciers throughout the world is an undeniable observation, and that human activities are the major reason for this is a scientific fact. The world needs to move away from speculation and start taking steps to prevent even more devastation to the planet's life [3:02]
grrlscientist | January 29, 2009tags: earth science, geoscience, nature, streaming video
What does an geoscientist do and how do you become one? The footage on this video is really remarkable [6:38]
grrlscientist | January 26, 2009tags: ants, hymenoptera, excavating ant city, nature, science, streaming video
This fascinating video details how a scientist learns what an ant colony looks like in the wild -- it's astonishing how big these things can get [3:16]
awild | January 25, 2009
Tonight's selection was suggested for your viewing pleasure by Jack Longino.
grrlscientist | January 22, 2009tags: continental drift, geology, earth science, streaming video
This video shows how the continents have split apart and drifted around the globe. Further, it also shows their predicted movements in the future [1:20]
ddobbs | January 13, 2009Rolling deadlines have kept me from the blogging desk, but I can occupy it long enough now to call out a few items that either haven't received as much coverage as they might have -- or that have gotten several interesting hits.
⢠At Huffpost, Jeanne Lenzer and Shannon Brownlee offer the FDA a three-step program:
Step One: Admit that you are currently powerless over the industry you are supposed to be regulating. You have let Big Pharma take over your life. You have become dependent on drug company money that comes from the Prescription Drug Fee User Act (PDUFA) of 1992, and over the…
grrlscientist | January 9, 2009tags: kingfisher, Alcedo atthis, image of the day
Kingfisher, Alcedo atthis, with a freshly caught flatfish.
This species is found in central and southern England, and they are currently increasing in their range in Scotland.
Image: Paul Richards [larger view].
This image is part of a lovely photoessay published recently by The Telegraph.
Read more about this species.
grrlscientist | January 8, 2009tags: kingfisher, Alcedo atthis, image of the day
Kingfisher, Alcedo atthis, with a freshly caught flatfish.
This species is found in central and southern England, and they are currently increasing in their range in Scotland.
Image: Paul Richards [larger view].
This image is part of a lovely photoessay published recently by The Telegraph.
Read more about this species.
grrlscientist | January 7, 2009tags: kingfisher, Alcedo atthis, image of the day
Kingfisher, Alcedo atthis, on her favorite fishing perch. This bird is found in central and southern England, and they are currently increasing in their range in Scotland.
Image: Paul Richards [larger view].
This image is part of a lovely photoessay published recently by The Telegraph.
Read more about this species.
awild | January 6, 2009
Odontomachus meinerti trap-jaw ant, Argentina
One perk of being at a research university is the opportunity to shoot the various study organisms on campus. These subjects are interesting- they have to be, or they wouldn't be studied- and when the research goes public I get the chance to disseminate my photographs with the science media outlets that cover the story.
Among my favorite campus animals is the Odontomachus trap-jaw ant, one of the focal taxa in Andy Suarez's lab. The researchers are looking at the biomechanics of the jaw, one of the fastest recorded appendages among all…
grrlscientist | January 5, 2009tags: Burrowing Owls, Speotyto cunicularia, wildlife, nature, image of the day
Burrowing Owls, Speotyto cunicularia, Fighting in the Snow.
Image: Rance Rogers [larger view].
Rance Rogers captured this fleeting shot just after a heavy snow in Roswell, New Mexico. A pair of owls exploring outside their burrow were surprised when a third dropped in for a fight. Rogers enjoys photography that gives people a close-up look at nature, "so they can truly appreciate the beauty that surrounds us."
Go here to see more images. This image appears here with the kind permission of my friends at National…
grrlscientist | January 4, 2009tags: Danube River, Austria, Castle, environment, nature, image of the day
Schloss Schönbühel.
Image: Sisse Brimberg and Cotton Coulson [larger view].
Standing guard on a Danube riverbank promontory, Schloss Schönbühel -- a centuries-old castle -- adds manmade beauty to a vista of vast natural charm.
Wachau/Melk Abbey had the highest scores in Traveler's Destination Scorecard of Historic Places.
Go here to see more images. This image appears here with the kind permission of my friends at National Geographic.
awild | January 4, 2009
leafcutter ant mating swarm, Arizona
The sparkle of these insects' wings was captured by pointing the camera at the sun while standing behind the mating swarm. I find backlighting to be one of the most pleasing effects for translucent wings.
photo details: Canon 100mm f2.8Â macro lens on a Canon EOS 20D
ISO 100, f/11, 1/500 sec
grrlscientist | January 3, 2009tags: Iceland, environment, Iceland, nature, image of the day
Iceland.
Image: Orvar Thorgiersson [larger view].
Icelander Orvar Thorgiersson won a Merit Award in the World in Focus competition for this image. He snapped his image just five minutes from his home. "I find this lava-rock cove and old house very interesting," he says. "It was the first time I shot it covered with snow. I like the contrast of the chilled surroundings with the warmth coming from the house windows." An engineer, Thorgiersson says photography gives him a creative outlet.
Go here to see more images. This image…
awild | January 1, 2009
Formica incerta, Illinois
Despite a widespread belief that ants produce formic acid, the habit is confined to only one of the 20-some ant subfamilies, the formicinae. This is among the most abundant subfamilies, containing the familiar carpenter ants and field ants, and is recognizable by the single constricted waist segment and an acid-dispersing nozzle called the acidopore at the tip of the abdomen. The most recent myrmecos.net upload covers a variety of formicine species from Arizona, Illinois, and South Africa.
Click here to visit the gallery.
grrlscientist | January 1, 2009tags: life cycle of a star, astronomy, physics, education, streaming video
The average star 'lives' for roughly 12 billion years. This wonderful video provides us with a visual glimpse into the entire life cycle of a G-type star, like our sun, from birth to death [6:29]