Arborsculpture: Artful Science of Tree Shaping
An ancient practice combines art and science, humanity and nature, to deliver an innovative contemporary creation: Arborsculpture.
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Shelf Life Episode 8: Voyage of the Giant Squid
Find out how natural history museum staff transport the body of a giant squid. These animals grow to the size of a school bus, or longer. This episode of the Shelf Life video series focuses on a simple transportation problem– how to transport the body of a rare giant squid. But long before they were a quandary for customs officials, these mysterious cephalopods fueled fear and folklore all over the world. While they may not breathe fire or devour large ships, the animals that inspired their mythological counterparts are no…
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Hey Cichlid, Check Out My Sandcastle
By Tom Evans (@AquaEvans) Here is a healthy reminder that all those other fish in the sea aren’t so bad. I’d like to justify my belief that Lake Malawi cichlids are considerably more charming than most human companions. Before we go on, I am not encouraging you to leave your wife/husband and run to the nearest lake. Lake Malawi, also known as Lake Nyasa in Tanzania and Lago Niassa in Mozambique, is an African Great Lake. It is located between Malawi, Mozambique, and Tanzania. Cichlid Love Cichlids are charismatic lovers, and…
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Declining Bee Populations Revisited
Are we headed toward a future with no bees? Declining Bee Populations Revisited covers what we know about bee hive collapse and recovery.
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Only Three Isle Royale Wolves Remain
Only three Isle Royale Wolves remain, according the the latest count. Find out why, and if anything can be done to save the wolf population.
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Wild Red Kite: Red and Deadly
Photography and Text by Steven Spence This is a wild red kite (German: Roter Milan; Latin Milvus milvus ), which lives mainly in Germany, Poland, France and Spain, but is seen in other parts of Europe. Black kites (German: Schwarzer Milan; Milvus migrans) are more widespread and more often encountered. Red Kite Population and Range Estimates suggest there are approximately only 19,000 to 25,000 breeding pairs of red kites in all of Europe (~12,000 in Germany). Thus, today’s photo is a relatively special treat. The population of black kites is…
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Winter Bees, First Visitors
This photo of a winter bee collecting pollen, called “First Visitors,” is the work of Germany-based photographer Steven Spence. Here is what he has to say about the photo: Friday, I had my first visit from a bee this year. Right now all that is in blossom around my place are crocuses, but that seems to be good enough for the first bees of the year. Bees born at different times of year have different life-cycles. This is a winter bee, which can live longer than the spring and summer…
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Early Tetrapod Skull Looks like Crocodile
Our 360 million-year-old tetrapod ancestors may have been more like modern crocodiles than previously thought, according to a new 3D skull reconstruction from the University of Bristol, UK. Acanthostega gunnari was a “four-footed” vertebrate, also known as a tetrapod, that invaded land during one of the great evolutionary transitions in Earth’s history, 380-360 million years ago. Tetrapods evolved from lobe-finned fish and display a number of adaptations that helped them survive on land. “These new analyses provide fresh clues about the evolution of the jaws and feeding system as the…
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Nature’s Medicine Cabinet for Sick Bees
By Kate Stone Around the world, honey bees are in decline and under constant threat from parasites. This ongoing problem threatens fruits, vegetables and other crops that make up much of the food supply for people. However, naturally occurring chemicals found in flowers of certain plants could be just the right prescription for sick bees, according to new research from Dartmouth College. The chemicals that occur naturally in floral nectar “may play a vital role in reducing bee-parasite interactions,” according to researcher Rebecca Irwin. The study found that chemicals in…
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Florida Lizards are Evolving, Fast
In the span of just 15 years, scientists have documented native lizards evolving rapidly in response to pressure from an invasive species.
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