Plankton and Moon

Environmental & Science Education, STEM, Earth & Space Science, Earth Systems, Solar System, Biodiversity, Nature

Ed Hessler

This striking image from Astronomy Picture of the Day (APOD) dazzled me. Two images, either of which would be sufficient to make one stop and look, not once but many times.

Great explanation, too.

 

About "cold light," bioluminescence.

The Genetic Revolutions

Environmental & Science Education, STEM, History of Science, Nature of Science, Science & Society, Biological Evolution

Ed Hessler

From the Darwin College Lectures, Dr. Matthew Cobb speaks on "The Genetic Revolutions." 

 

He discusses five of them: 1) that characteristics could be inherited (18th century); 2) Mendel's experiments on hybrid pea plants (1850s); 3)  rediscovery of Mendel's work (1903); 4); discovery of DNA's structure (1953); 5) advent of genetic engineering (1972). An interesting characteristic all share is none were immediately transformational.

In the printed material below the lecture, he calls attention to what are later called "scientific revolutions." 

 

"Through the history of our attempts to understand heredity we can perceive something of the history of science and how scientific revolutions are rarely immediately perceptible at the time. The wheel of scientific history turns, but much less rapidly and dramatically than appears in retrospect."

Following his opening comments he mentions two things you need to know. The first is that he will take a break (2 m) which is a long practice of his; the second is this "You are not allowed to think that people in the past were not stupid. The challenge is to understand why they thought what they thought." He spends a small amount of time on each.

Dr. Cobb's resume is briefly summarized on the opening page. For more see the Wiki entry.

Here is the lecture (58 m 42 s). He knows the material, is clear and in addition the talk is easily broken into segments if that is your preference for viewing.

I think it's terrific.

Friday Poem

Environmental & Science Education, Poetry, Art & Environment

Ed Hessler

Dandelions is by Gerda Stevenson.

About Christian Small whose name is in the title of the book in which this poem is published.

Q&A With Mathematician Claire Voisin

Environmental & Science Education, STEM, Maths, Mathematics Education, History of Science, Miscellaneous

Ed Hessler

In this interview with Quanta Magazine's Jordana Cepelewicz, the 2024 Crafoord Prize in Mathematics recipient Claire Voisin discusses maths as art, as language, and as abstract thought. She is the first woman to receive the Crafoord Prize in Mathematics. Link to the Wiki entry on Claire Voisin.

After introductory comments Cepelewicz and Voisin discussed these topics.

--You enjoyed math as a child, but didn’t see yourself pursuing it. Why not?

--Before you found that in math, where did you look for it?

--What made you decide to devote most of your creative energy to math in the end?

--You’ve written before about how math is a creative endeavor.

--It sounds like math is deeply personal for you. Have you discovered anything about yourself in the process?

--You work with very abstract objects — with high-dimensional spaces, with structures that satisfy complicated equations. How do you think about such an abstract world?

--And this also requires seeing them from different viewpoints?

--It’s interesting that you think of these as different mathematical languages.

--You were drawn to math because of Grothendieck’s revolution in algebraic geometry. He essentially created a new language for doing this kind of mathematics.

--Are there ways in which the mathematical language you’re using now might still need to change?

--Have you had to introduce new definitions in your work?

--Definitions and language aren’t the only guiding forces in mathematics. So are conjectures, which might or might not be true. For instance, you’ve done a lot of work on the Hodge conjecture, a Clay millennium problem whose solution comes with a $1 million reward.

--So mathematicians aren’t sure if the Hodge conjecture will end up being true or false?

--After decades working as a mathematician, do you feel like you’re doing math even more deeply now?

Lake Superor's Lake Trout

Environmental & Science Education, STEM, Behavior, Biodiversity, Biological Evolution, Global Change, Climate Change

Ed Hessler

I point you to an article in the Minnesota Conservation Volunteer (March - April) and borrow from the story along the way. 

Mysterious Whoppers is by Chris Pascone and if you get the Volunteer you can read it there; otherwise it is on the Web site for the Volunteer although not laid out as well or the the photographs inserted in the text. 

 

The whoppers in question are all lake trout, a single species (Salvelinus mamaycush) but one which Pascone refers to as "shape-shifting." Currently there are four known morphotypes, also referred to as "morphs"- shape shifters. 

First a few comments about the climatology of Lake Superior Many factors are at work as you will learn in this release from the University of Michigan (n.d..). I chose it for its comprehensiveness. But when we focus on lake trout, I found Pascone's blunt statement on one climatic feature edifying: "How is global warming affecting cold-water lake trout" Under study."

First to the lake trout (Salvelinus mamaycush). These fish "fill" the lake from top (about 300' below the surface) to bottom although little is known about their distribution and abundance.

--Humpers. These are the least common. The name is "for a physical feature...--the tops of large seamounts, or humps, that rise from the depths of Lake Superior to heights that approach the surface, the habitat it prefers.

--Leans

--Redfins. Photo showing fin color, "The colorful fins...give it its moniker." There are three great photographs in the Volunteer article.

--Siscowet. This link includes photos, side by side of Siscowet, Humpers and Leans.

Gary Goldsworthy, the Minnesota DNR Lake Superior fisheries supervisor notes that "the morphotypes are a product of their habitat features such as depth and locations (population isolation).

You may also be interested in a section of the DNR Fisheries Management Plan For Lake Superior on tributary habitat which influences the lake variously.

Pascone summarizes the history of Lake Superior trout in a section titled "Back From The Brink." I was struck by an observation made by Shawn Sitar, a Michigan DNR research biologist who compared lake trout and Chinook salmon.

From an evolutionary point of view Lousie Chavarie of the Norwegian University of Life Sciences, provides some perspective. Pascone quotes a statement she made on the role such diversity plays on ecosystem resilience (''e.g., climate change"). One to add to your daybook.

The uniqueness of Lake Superior and their trout is pointed out by DNR's Gary Goldsworth. Grant Sorenson, the host of Superior Angling who also comments on some remaining mysteries. Pick any Sorenson video and you will be captured by his passion for fish. He puts it into words in the section About Us (from the Superior Angling Co.).  He loves fish and their habitat.

A Day of Science

Environmental & Science Education, STEM, Miscellaneous

Ed Hessler

Almost missed this so, it seems appropriate to put it in caps.

SCIENCE APPRECIATION DAY, MARCH 26, 2024

Playing With Time *

Science & Environmental Education, Art & Environment, Miscellaneous

Ed Hessler

3QD posted a video on February 15, 2024 made by visual artist Ben Quaniche who is based in Israel.

It led me to his website. He founded MacroRoom and there, in addition to the home page are sections titled work, about and contact. If 3QD has posted his work before I missed it or don't remember it. My preference would be to read about him before viewing the video 3QD featured.  After you can return to the website to see others.

"Playing with Time," is about entropy and is likely to lead you to some questions and wondering.

The filming of this short video (1 m 33 s) is well done (to the standard of a visual artist), clever in its consideration of examples and always playful, in other words, a treat.

h/t to 3QD's S. Abbas Raza for finding it and for making it available to at least one person who otherwise would have missed it.

 

* Title from video.

Athena: Great Horned Owl Bird Cam - Cornell Laboratory of Ornithology

Environmental & Science Education, STEM, Behavior, Nature, Wildlife, Biodiversity, Biological Evolution

Ed Hessler

The Cornell Laboratory of Ornithology has called our attention to the Great Horned Owl Bird Cam. There is a short clip of Athena, showing us her nictitating membrane - the third eyelid.

"Athena first provides us a look at "her piercing stare while incubating her eggs. Have you noticed a transparent membrane sweeping across Athena’s eye when she blinks? This is her third eyelid—also known as the nictitating membrane—and all birds have them! The nictitating membrane is closest to the eyeball, underneath the bird’s normal eyelid.It helps keep the eye lubricated and closes to protect the eye when the owl is hunting."

Athena is making her debut on the Cornell Laboratory of Ornithology bird cam project. Here is an introduction. 

There are highlights from the season so far. 

 

And it is free.

World Meteorological Day + Weather Forecasting

Environmental & Science Education, STEM, Earth & Space Science, Earth Systems, Models, Science & Society, Children

Ed Hessler

Coincidentally, as we head into a complex weather pattern which includes snow, rain, even some thunder and lightening depending on where you live in Minnesota, it is one day past World Meteorological Day which is acknowledged every March 23.

The material is engaging and multifaceted. This year's theme is "At The Frontline of Climate Action."  

 

The opening page includes a listing of past themes to 1961. This is below the link to the World Meteorological Day website. If you take the climate pledge link you can hear a young child playing the role of a TV reporter with a forecast for 2050. It is one of several forecasts that were made.

 

Too much to view at one sitting but scan it to see what you might be interested in. 

 

And speaking about meteorology, over at "Our World in Data" there is an interesting article on weather forecasting by Hannah Ritchie.  Here are a few items to get you started.

--There is a capsule history of improvements since 650 BCE. Here are two recent examples. The UK's Meteorological Office (Met Office) "says its four-day forecasts are now as accurate as its one-day forecasts were 30 years ago And in the U.S. "predictions have gotten much better. We can see this in some of the most important forecasts: the prediction of hurricanes."

A chart on the "track error" or the accuracy on where it hits, "especially for longer-term forecasts has decreased a lot over time. In the 1970s, a 48-hour forecast had an error between 200 and 400 nautical miles (~ 230 and 460 miles or ~ 370 and 790 kilometers; today this is around 50 nautical miles (~57 miles or ~97 kilometers)."

Another chart based on numerical weather models for both the southern and northern hemispheres from "the European Centre for Medium-Range Weather Forecasts (ECMWF)". Since the 1980s "three-day forecasts have been pretty accurate. Today the accuracy is around 97%.

Three-day forecasts have been pretty accurate since the 1980s, and have still gotten a lot better over time. Today the accuracy is around 97%. The biggest improvements...are for longer time frames. By the early 2000s, 5-day forecasts were “highly accurate” and 7-day forecasts are reaching that threshold today. 10-day forecasts aren’t quite there yet."

The improvements have happened because "the data has improved, computers have gotten much faster, and improvements made in how these data are communicated." 

It should not be surprising that "low income countries have much worse forecasts, and often no early warning system. In a world where climate change is having impacts "making (improvements) available to everyone (will be even more important as climate change increases the risks of weather-related disasters. It is ultimately the poorest, who are the more vulnerable, who will suffer the worst consequences. Better forecasts are key to good climate change adaptation. 

Ritchie closes with comments on emerging technologies that may accelerate this noting that closing the gaps will require "proper investment and financial will be essential." Unfortunately, she says nothing about what she means by "proper investment."

These items are discussed in the essay, providing necessary details and information I've not included. The essay is also well-linked to further your digging in. and there are many useful links.  Read the essay.

 

Another Week Highlighting Science From the UK's Journal Nature

Environmental & Science Education, STEM, Science & Society, Nature of Science, History of Science, Miscellaneous

Ed Hessler

This Nature Podcast (29m 24s) from the British science journal Nature by Nick Petric-Howe & Benjamin Thompson for March 20, 2024 includes the following. Beginning times are noted on the left. The descriptions include relevant research which may or may not be accessible.

Two listening options. The first from the journal Nature and the second from YouTube.

00:48 How mysterious skyrmions could power next-generation computers

Skyrmions are tiny whirlpools of magnetic spin that some researchers believe have useful properties that could unlock new kinds of computing. However getting skyrmions to perform useful computational tasks has been tricky. Now researchers have developed a method to create and manipulate skyrmions in a way that is compatible with existing computing technology, allowing them to read and write data at a fraction of the energy cost of conventional systems. The team think this shows that skyrmions could be a viable part of the next generation of computers.

07:51 Research Highlights

How robotically-enhanced, live jellyfish could make ocean monitoring cheap and easy, and how collective saliva tests could be a cost-effective way of testing for a serious infant infection.

10:01 AI identifies X factor hidden within zebra finch songs

Male songbirds often develop elaborate songs to demonstrate their fitness, but many birds only learn a single song and stick with it their entire lives. How female birds judge the fitness between these males has been a long-standing puzzle. Now, using an AI-based system a team has analysed the songs of male zebra finches and shown that some songs have a hidden factor that is imperceptible to humans. Although it’s not clear exactly what this factor is, songs containing it were shown to be harder to learn and more attractive to females. The researchers hope that this AI-based method will allow them to better understand what makes some birdsong more attractive than others.

20:04 Briefing Chat

How H5N1 avian influenza is threatening penguins on Antarctica, and why farmed snake-meat could be a more environmentally-friendly way to produce protein for food.

Friday Poem

Environmental & Science Education, Poetry, Art & Environment, Society, Culture

Ed Hessler

At the Museum is by Agha Shahid Ali.

 

References

The Wiki entry on Harappa.

The Wiki entry on asafoetida.

For contemporary cooking comments on asafoetida, a discussion by Priya Krishna, Bon Appetit.

Comments on where Ali might have seen it, the sculpture and an image.

The Wiki entry on the National Museum, India.

A Science Podcast with Bob MacDonald, CBC

Environmental & Science Education, STEM, Biodiversity, Astrophysics, Cosmology, Extinction, Behavior

A diverse offering from the science podcast Quirks & Quarks with Bob MacDonald, Canadian Broadcasting Corporation (CBC). The complete segment is 54:00 minutes long.

Here is what's in store (segment length in parentheses). Written comments and images are found at the link under the following headings.

--Nature's nurturing side — disabled primates thrive in the wild with community support (7m 56s)

--Beetle larvae feeding on dino feathers left signs of that relationship trapped in amber (7m 52s)

--Jellyfish demonstrate how it's possible to learn and remember even without a brain (7m 52s)

--Bottlenose dolphins sense their prey's electrical fields through their whisker dimples (6m 29s)

 

--How documenting the disappearance of the great auk led to the discovery of extinction (17m 24s)

--Listener Question. Chris Corbett from North Sydney asks: If we see the star, Betelgeuse, that's 642 light years from Earth, going supernova, does that mean it might have already gone supernova? (2m 36s)

 

Bumblebees and Complex Tasks

Environmental & Science Education, STEM, Behavior, Nature, Wildlife, Nature of Science, Culture

Ed Hessler

Of course, some non-human animals have a culture, e.g., tool use has been observed and documented.

Now we learn, i.e., there is some evidence that one non-human animal also shares one of our cultural achievements: the "ability to do things too complex to work out alone." 

A recent paper from the British journal Nature is summarized in this film (7m 38s) which describes the experimental evidence for "this phenomenon outside humans - in bumblebees." 

Alice Bridges , the lead author, is a PhD candidate and takes us through the study and findings.

One limitation is discussed and it is important: the bees live for only one generation so this learning dies with them. Still it serves as a stimulus to look for this behavior in other animals but the design of the experiments, as you will learn, is daunting. Scientists like these kinds of problems.

You can read the paper and also have access to the transcript by using that link. In addition, the film uses subtitles so you can read and hear the interview at the same time.

 

I thought it was a cleverly designed study.

 

Vernal Equinox

Environmental & Science Education, STEM, Astronomy, Solar System, Science & Society, Culture

Ed Hessler

Astronomy Picture of the Day (APOD) noted the vernal equinox today, March 19, 2024 with a photo of an autumnal equinox event. They explain!

We still have a few hours before the event occurs, at 10:06 pm CST.

Hope you like it no matter what day you view it. 

 

Spring will take time and I hope we see showers. 

 

An, oh how the amount of  daily sunlight has increased.

Six Gardens

Environmental & Science Education, STEM, Culture, Miscellaneous

Ed Hessler

From Future, The Collection (BBC) "six extraordinary gardens around the world" are shown and discussed. The featured gardens BBC journalist Cath Pound writes about are from "Garden Futures at Germany's Vitra Design Museum."

Cath Pound introduces her Garden Futures entries by telling us that the exhibit "showcases a number of unique spaces that take a much broader approach to what (gardens) can be. Whether promoting biodiversity, making innovative use of precious green space to feed and nurture a community, or drawing inspiration from popular culture to create a private fantasy world, they reveal that gardens have the potential to nurture, educate and entertain, all the while dazzling us with the sheer wonder of nature."

Pound's short tour was an "expectation buster" hemmed in as I was by "traditional" views of gardens (a variable category) and was pleasantly surprised. Garden Futures is a lovely, make-you-think exhibition.

 

 

UK Journal Nature Podcast, March 13, 2024

Environmental & Science Education, STEM, Behavior, Nature, Wildlife

Ed Hessler

Below are the topics of the British Journal Nature's  Nature Podcast (27m 17s) for March 13, 2024. Beginning times for each segment are in the parentheses.

00:45 Making a map of the human heart

The human heart consists of multiple, specialized structures that all work together to enable the organ to beat for a lifetime. But exactly which cells are present in each part of the heart has been difficult to ascertain. Now, a team has combined molecular techniques to create an atlas of the developing human heart at an individual cell level. Their atlas provides insights into how cell communities communicate and form different structures. They hope that this knowledge will ultimately help in the treatment of congenital heart conditions, often caused by irregular development of the heart. Includes a video.

08:37 Research Highlights

Residue in ceramic vases suggests that ancient Mesoamerican peoples consumed tobacco as a liquid, and a wireless way to charge quantum batteries.

11:11 The evolution of menopause in toothed whales

Menopause is a rare phenomenon, only known to occur in a few mammalian species. Several of these species are toothed whales, such as killer whales, beluga whales and narwhals. But why menopause evolved multiple times in toothed whales has been a long-standing research question. To answer it, a team examined the life history of whales with and without menopause and how this affected the number of offspring and ‘grandoffspring’. Their results suggest that menopause allows older females to help younger generations in their families and improve their chances of survival. Includes a link to the paper and the item in the journal Nature's News and Views.

18:03 Briefing Chat

How the new generation of anti-obesity drugs could help people with HIV, and the study linking microplastics lodged in a key blood vessel with serious health issues. Includes a link to the journal's report in Nature News.

One caveat: Links to papers published in Nature may not be completely accessible. The links to news and views items usually work. You can count on the videos.

Nature Podcast (27m 17s) for March 13, 2024. Segment beginning times are in the parentheses.

00:45 Making a map of the human heart

The human heart consists of multiple, specialized structures that all work together to enable the organ to beat for a lifetime. But exactly which cells are present in each part of the heart has been difficult to ascertain. Now, a team has combined molecular techniques to create an atlas of the developing human heart at an individual cell level. Their atlas provides insights into how cell communities communicate and form different structures. They hope that this knowledge will ultimately help in the treatment of congenital heart conditions, often caused by irregular development of the heart. Includes a video.

08:37 Research Highlights

Residue in ceramic vases suggests that ancient Mesoamerican peoples consumed tobacco as a liquid, and a wireless way to charge quantum batteries.

11:11 The evolution of menopause in toothed whales

Menopause is a rare phenomenon, only known to occur in a few mammalian species. Several of these species are toothed whales, such as killer whales, beluga whales and narwhals. But why menopause evolved multiple times in toothed whales has been a long-standing research question. To answer it, a team examined the life history of whales with and without menopause and how this affected the number of offspring and ‘grandoffspring’. Their results suggest that menopause allows older females to help younger generations in their families and improve their chances of survival. Includes a link to the paper and the item in the journal Nature's News and Views.

18:03 Briefing Chat

How the new generation of anti-obesity drugs could help people with HIV, and the study linking microplastics lodged in a key blood vessel with serious health issues. Includes a link to the journal's report in Nature News.

One caveat: Links to papers published in Nature may not be completely accessible. The links to news and views items usually work. You can count on the videos.

Great Backyard Bird Count, 2024

Environmental & Science Education, STEM, Nature, Wildlife, Biodiversity, Science & Society, Citizen Science, Miscellaneous

Ed Hessler

The Cornell Laboratory of Ornithology has released the final results of the 2024 Great Backyard Bird Count (GBBC).

The only requirement of the event is to spend at least 15 minutes watching birds and reporting bird sightings to the Cornell Lab. The watching occurred February 16 - 19, 2024.

You can learn the findings in an overall snapshot, view a graph of the growth in participation since 2013, read about the growth in participation world wide, search local results, learn the top three countries by the numbers, find out how many of the world's species were seen, see  many of the inspiring photos taken by participants, read reporting on large flock sightings and rare visitors, learn about the use of Merlin (a popular bird ID app) by participants, and spend some time in a gallery of people photos.

View the report.

The next GBBC is February 14 - 17, 2025.

The Shift to Daylight Time

Environmental & Science Education, STEM, Solar System, Astronomy, Science & Society

Ed Hessler

We made it even though it might have required some manual changes to certain devices which don't spring ahead or fall back automatically. I have an old electric clock which requires I move the clock hands.

 

You might even have forgotten the date and had an old device wake you up at the wrong time while a new device was silent. 

 

Some people grouse and some don't mind. I'm in the latter group.

CBS News correspondent Luke Burbank (2m 48s) has some comments on the joy of springing ahead.

Friday Poem

Environmental & Science Education, Poetry, Art & Environment

Ed Hessler

The Scottish Poetry Library is thought into being by Gerda Stevenson.

The poem, a short biography of the author and publication information are found at the link.