The Most Astounding Fact Presented by Neil deGrasse Tyson

Presented by Neil deGrasse Tyson 

The Most Astounding Fact from Max Schlickenmeyer on Vimeo.

Dolphin Speak

Bottlenose Dolphin by US Fish and Wildlife Service (Public domain), via Wikimedia Commons

Anyone who's kept up with dolphin research probably won't be surprised to hear that they actually have names for each other. Of course, their names don't sound anything like "Flipper" since dolphins use whistles as part of their communication. You can hear examples of these dolphin calls on the Voices in the Sea website, which also has a collection of calls by other cetaceans. News reports recently have revealed the new research that has come to light about dolphin communication.

 

Almost anyone growing up in the 60's and 70's likely was entranced by dolphins since they figured so prominently in TV shows and movies, as well as literature. As a child, I recall reading Dolphin Island by Arthur C. Clarke, about an orphan boy who is rescued by dolphins, or the "People of the Sea."  And who doesn't remember back in the 70's, the rather oddly compelling movie, "Day of the Dolphin" which depicted dolphins mimicking human speech. Much of the literature and media was influenced by John C. Lilly, whose research on dolphins revealed the depth of their intelligence and socialization. Humans throughout history have connected with dolphins and admired their beauty and ability to form relationships with humans.

 

Dolphin sculpture - Greece, 300 B.C. - A.D. 100,  Los Angeles County Museum of Art, public domain

David Christian: The history of our world in 18 minutes

 

 

From TED Talks: "Backed by stunning illustrations, David Christian narrates a complete history of the universe, from the Big Bang to the Internet, in a riveting 18 minutes. This is "Big History": an enlightening, wide-angle look at complexity, life and humanity, set against our slim share of the cosmic timeline. About David Christian."

America's National Park Libraries

View of the Yosemite Valley, 1865, by Thomas Hill - Collection of The New York Historical Society

American Libraries magazine has a great article on America's NPS libraries throughout the country. I wonder how many people even know about this wonderful resource? These libraries hold a great many resources on the history, geology, geography, and preservation of, as Ken Burns put it, "America's best idea." The Parks' collection is searchable online, so one can limit results to a particular park, such as the Grand Canyon or Yosemite, as examples. The Parks libraries also participate in the world-wide Ask-a-Librarian program where you can chat with NPS librarians to find out more about our national parks. What a truly great, underutilized and largely unknown library resource!

Vollis Simpson, Maker of Wonderful, Whimsical Whirligigs, Dies at 94

Vollis Simpson (Gerry Broome, AP)

Whirligigs by Vollis Simpson in NC (Gerry Broome, AP)

Wikipedia describes whirligigs as, "pinwheels, buzzers, comic weathervanes, gee-haws, spinners, whirlygigs, whirlijig, whirlyjig, whirlybird, or plain whirly. Whirligigs are most commonly powered by the wind but can be hand or friction powered or even powered by a motor."  The most famous whirligig maker of all was Vollis Simpson, who created some massive and creative wind-driven whirligigs with which he  populated his farm. This whirligig farm, located in Lucama, North Carolina, contained over 30 large whirligigs, most of which are currently undergoing restoration. More than just whimsical or artistic, however, whirligigs can often be useful as energy producers or weather vanes among other practical functions. Vollis Simpson, a creative inventor/artist/tinkerer/ who lived his life among the beautiful things he built and loved. 

 

From Windmills to Whirligigs / ©Science Museum of Minnesota 1996

 

Pinwheel by Nevit Dilmen (Own work) - Wikimedia Commons

 

The Brief, Wondrous Emergence of the Cicadas

 

This is an absolutely stunning video created by Samuel Orr (motionkicker on Vimeo) funded by the Kickstarter Project, which is also responsible for the Librii library project. This HD video beautifully captures the dramatic emergence, brief surface life, and final submergence of the Cicadas.

The Harp Sponge and a Tiny Little Frog (Way Tiny!)

 

A strange new species of carnivorous sponges was discovered last year and has been added to the top ten newly identified species of 2012. The Harp Sponge simply looks unearthly and was discovered living at a depth of about two miles under water off the California coast. There are some other interesting species on the top ten list as well, among them a glow-in-the-dark cockroach, but nothing looks quite as unreal as the Harp Sponge. The cutest new discovery, though, is a frog which is considered the smallest known vertebrate in the world - Paedophryne amauensis. The LA Times has a nice gallery of the top ten list of newly identified species of 2012.

Photograph of a paratype of Paedophryne amanuensis (LSUMZ 95004) on U.S. dime (diameter 17.91 mm)
Rittmeyer EN, Allison A, Gründler MC, Thompson DK, Austin CC - Wikimedia Commons, 2012

 

International World Turtle Day

Western pond turtle - Wikimedia Commons public domain

This day is sponsored by the American Tortoise Rescue to help people celebrate and protect turtles everywhere. Turtles are disappearing, especially the larger ones and we need to help keep them safe. The American Tortoise Rescue (ATR) website has helpful advice on what we can all do to achieve this end. They're among the oldest animals in the world and probably the best thing we can do is to leave them alone and allow them to live peacefully - slow and steady!

APOD - Odd Feature Looks Out of This World

Earth's Richat Structure
Image Credit: NASA/GSFC/METI/Japan Space Systems, and U.S./Japan ASTER Science Team

But it's actually located on Earth! It looks almost like a giant blue eye fixated outward at the sky, but this geological structure may have been caused by massive erosion. NASA's APOD has a partial explanation for it:

"What on Earth is that? The Richat Structure in the Sahara Desert of Mauritania is easily visible from space because it is nearly 50 kilometers across. Once thought to be an impact crater, the Richat Structure's flat middle and lack of shock-altered rock indicates otherwise. The possibility that the Richat Structure was formed by a volcanic eruption also seems improbable because of the lack of a dome of igneous or volcanic rock. Rather, the layered sedimentary rock of the Richat structure is now thought by many to have been caused by uplifted rock sculpted by erosion. The above image was captured by the ASTER instruments onboard the orbiting orbiting Terra satellite. Why the Richat Structure is nearly circular remains a mystery."

Happy 75th Birthday, Polytetrafluoroethylene!

Structure of Polytetrafluoroethylene - graphic by Ben Mills, public domain Wikimedia Commons

Or better known to most as Teflon, the brand produced by DuPont Co. Polytetrafluoroethylene (PTFE) was discovered, as many things are in the world of science, serendipitously by American chemist, Roy J. Plunkett (not NASA, as is commonly believed). In recent years, Teflon has received bad publicity for its effects on humans and birds, it still has valuable uses in medicine, industry, and sports. While many of us avoid cooking food on Teflon coated utensils, it has many practical uses such as bug repellent (in the sense that bugs can't hold onto surfaces coated with it). So, we appreciate you, Teflon, but won't invite you to dinner!

Plastic Manatee??

Tardigrade in Moss (APOD)
Image Credit & Copyright: Nicole Ottawa & Oliver Meckes / Eye of Science / Science Source Images

That's initially what I thought this creature was since it doesn't even look alive. But it's a tiny living organism known as a Tardigrade that can withstand the most extreme environmental conditions. It seems they can exist for decades without sustenance! They almost seem like the animal version of air plants, but even more resilient. The world really is full of the most bizarre things...

To Build a Windmill, Head to the Library

 

Young William Kamkwamba did just that when he built his family an electricity-generating windmill. When he was 14 years old, he used spare parts and plans from a library book called Using Energy, and constructed a working windmill which powers lights and radios in his family home. This young inventor has a bright future ahead and we wish him even greater success in helping his country, Malawi.

Amazing Living Bridges

The living bridges of Cherrapunji, India are made from the roots of the Ficus elastica tree.

These are made of tree roots that people have encouraged to grow and intertwine to form durable foot bridges! For a more extensive gallery of these, see the rootbridges blog which highlights the bridges in Cherrapunji, India. There are also root bridges in other parts of the world, notably in Iya Valley, Japan. These bridges call to mind certain Elven Kingdoms of lore :)

Ambiverts - the Happy (and Successful) Middle

Although the concept of ambiversion has been around for some time, it has gotten a closer look with new research conducted by Adam Grant, a professor at Wharton School of Management. His work entitled, "Rethinking the Extraverted Sales Ideal: The Ambivert Advantage" will be published soon in Psychological Science. To get the gist of the study, read Daniel Pink's recent article in the WP where he examines Adam's study which upends the conventional thinking on successful personality types. Most people believe that extroverts make the best leaders and introverts the worst. While it's true that introverts are not very successful salespeople or leaders, it turns out that extroverts aren't much better either! Rather, people who are somewhere in between, the ambiverts, are actually the most successful. Ambiverts are better at reading people and have better judgement in knowing when to speak up and when to keep their own counsel. Pink states, "They’re not quiet, but they’re not loud. They know how to assert themselves, but they’re not pushy." Pink himself is a well-known author and journalist and has written about the changing workplace, so his WP article on Adam's research falls into his area of expertise. It turns out that most people do fall in the ambivert category, which is a happy state of affairs for most of us!

National Geographic Society's 125th Anniversary

Cover of January, 1915
National Geographic Magazine
public domain Wikimedia Commons

Founded January 27, 1888, this iconic organization helped to literally globalize our view of the world. No one alive today has been untouched by their scientific and educational efforts throughout the world.  I remember as a grade schooler watching NGS documentaries about Jacques Cousteaus' undersea explorations and thinking I could do that  someday. Their ubiquitous yellow bordered monthly magazine graced many a coffee table, though that's becoming scarcer as print vanishes. Happily, their online and television presence continues to grow, expanding their outreach into newer frontiers.  Interestingly, no one quite knows what to do with their collections of NGS magazines cluttering basements; at some point, these will become valuable to collectors. Still, their motto, "Inspiring people to care about the planet" continues to define their mission. Happy Birthday, NGS! Thanks for giving the world a larger window into our home planet and beyond.

1. NGS celebrates its 125th.
2. NPR asks explorers to reflect on NGS' 125th.
3. WP gallery of NGS highlights.
4. Guardian's photo highlights of NGS.
5. NGS FB page with history and accolades.

Digital Globe

Very neat idea - a large spherical digital screen which can display all manner of geographical images and data, either projected internally or externally. In a recent article, the NYT described the technology as well as the uses of these digital globes. Right now, these are available only at an institutional level, but when prices drop eventually, they'll make appealing and educational coffee table artifacts!

Welcome the New Cosmic Dawn!

Hawaiian sunrise over the Haleakala summit by Tamugreg public domain img. Wikimedia Commons

It's not the end, after all, but a new beginning - a whole new cycle to either repeat or create history! So, herewith some interesting stories about this topic, as well as recommendations from various sources on how to spend this time:

1.  NASA's take on the Mayan Calendar.
2.  NYT's how to prepare, regardless of the nature of this event.
3.  WP's report on the cosmic dawn.
4.  TIME's story on the original cosmic dawn.
5.  Dayton Daily News' 10 things to do at the end.
6.  Edmonton Journal's 7 things to do.
7.  The Village Voice's what to do about the end.
8.  Babble's 10 things to do with your kids before the end. (some of these sound fun)
9.  Timeout's 50 things to do (this will keep you so busy you won't know it's all ended!).
10. Talk Tech's 23 techie things to do before it all ends.
11.  And finally, what to do if we're all still here (rats! this looks too hard).



The original cosmic dawn - Hubble Space Telescope image of NGC 7049 - NASA

Calling All Birders - it's the Annual Christmas Bird Count!

Cedar Waxwing - public domain image by Ken Thomas

Cedar Waxwing - public domain image by Ken Thomas

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

It's time to commence the annual Christmas Bird Count; it's been 113 years since the first one took place on Christmas Day 1900. That's the year ornithologist Frank Chapman began the count after proposing to conserve birds rather than shoot them. The Audubon Society's website has a wealth of information not only on the Christmas Bird Count, but also the history of bird conservation and science. Anyone can take part in the bird count and it promotes not only conservation, but helps us understand bird behavior and migration patterns, as well as providing bird census data. Birds have tremendous appeal to humans; their ability to fly and devoted nesting behavior have powerfully touched our sensibility ever since we first witnessed them. I've posted images of the Cedar Waxwing here because they're among the sleekest and dare I say coolest looking birds I've ever seen. There are many other beautiful and elegant birds, but the Waxwings have a modern, futuristic look that almost makes them seem space-age! Their dark eye bands, sleek crests, and smooth feathers give them a trendy appearance. And they're known to be very affectionate, often passing a berry down along a row of their compatriots!

50th Anniversary of the Petrified Forest National Park

Balancing Rock, Petrified National Forest (NPS)

While the Petrified Forest was designated a National Monument in 1906, its status changed to National Park on Dec. 9, 1962. This bit of news recalls a trip my family made years ago when we took an extensive vacation to Arizona and toured not only the Petrified Forest, but also the Grand Canyon and the Meteor Crater. It left an indelible mark in my memory because of the remarkable geology of that whole region. The entire trip was characterized by rocks, desert, and endless skies, not to mention the extreme, dry heat - almost like traveling to another planet! It has always amazed me that America has such a wide range of geological features, as if comprised of different countries and planets, especially considering that a lot of sci-fi movies are filmed in the desert southwest.

 

Petrified Logs, Crystal Forest,
Petrified Forest (NPS)

Chinle Formation, Tepees, Petrified Forest (NPS)

How Many People Have Ever Lived on Earth?

 

This is a question that is periodically posed to library reference services. So, it came up today at our branch and I thought I'd post the answer here:  according to the Population Reference Bureau, as of 2011,  107,602,707,791 people have been born in the world. Their video above explains the process of arriving at this figure, which is, naturally, a guesstimate since no hard population data exists for most of the time humans have been around. But it's an interesting parlor game of sorts, starting with establishing when the first humans even appeared. There's even a name for the study of ancient population studies - paleodemography.