grrlscientist | January 3, 2008tags: dragonfly, insects, National Geographic, Image of the Day
Dragonfly.
I found this little guy on one of the hostas this summer; he was covered in dew, sleeping.
Image: Noah Rosen 2007 (photo appears here with permission by National Geographic). [larger view].
grrlscientist | January 3, 2008tags: robofly, microrobotic fly, engineering, biobot, nanotechnology, streaming video
Robotics researchers have long been envious of flying insects, many of which are able to perform all sorts of spectacular acrobatics despite their small wings and smaller brains. Researchers at Harvard University created a robotic fly the size of a penny that is actually able to fly using a wing structure and motions based on a fly. The robofly weighs 60 milligrams (the equivalent of a few grains of rice), and beats its 1.5cm wings 120 (!) times per second. Most impressively, the actuating composite motor…
grrlscientist | January 2, 2008tags: christmas tree, holiday lights, UES, Upper East Side, NYCLife, NYC
Image: GrrlScientist 2007 [wallpaper size].
grrlscientist | January 2, 2008This online quiz might explain why I am not very excited about any of the candidates who are running for president this time around;
Okay, I've never heard of Mike Gravel until this moment, have you? What were your results?
Updated later: Okay, I am working on a beer at the moment and my results have changed -- I am becoming more aligned with the space alien guy, which leads me to ask, what did they put into my beer??
YIKES!
Christopher Dodd 80%
John Edwards 79%
Hillary Clinton 79%
Barack Obama 75%
Joe Biden 74%
Ron Paul 58%
Rudy Guiliani 34%
Fred Thompson 33%
John McCain 30%
Mike Huckabee…
grrlscientist | January 2, 2008tags: dung beetle, insects, National Geographic, Image of the Day
Dung beetle.
Racing to complete a day's work, a dung beetle loses control of its prize possession on the tar road that runs through Kruger National Park, South Africa.
Image: Scott Francis 2007 (photo appears here with permission by National Geographic). [larger view].
grrlscientist | January 2, 2008tags: books, Open Laboratory
I just wanted to let you know that the book, Open Laboratory 2007: The Best Science Blog Writing of 2007 is now in production, and one of my submissions will be included in the book.
So, to give you a synposis of the book, the two main editors, Reed and Coturnix chose the top 70 or so submissions (out of 486!), according to the judges' ratings. After that, they tried to cut the list down to 50 (+2; one poem and one cartoon) -- a task that they found to be much more difficult. After much discussion, they decided to include 51 essays, one poem and one cartoon. As…
grrlscientist | January 2, 2008tags: Carnival of Storytelling, blog carnivals
The 8th edition of the Carnival of Storytelling is now available for you to read and enjoy. Best of all, they included one of my submissions!
grrlscientist | January 2, 2008tags: beer bottles, christmas tree, humor, holidaze, holidays, streaming video
This is an amusing idea for how to recycle all those empty beer bottles that you have laying around your dorm room, now that the holidays are ending [1:40]
grrlscientist | January 1, 2008tags: festival of the trees, blog carnivals
Hey treehuggers, the 19th edition of the Festival of the Trees is now available for you to read. They also included a contribution from me!
grrlscientist | January 1, 2008tags: subway art, coelacanth, AMNH, American Musuem of Natural History, NYCLife, NYC
Latimeria species, the legendary coelacanth, a living fossil,
as portrayed in tiles on the walls of the NYC uptown subway stop
(A-B-C) at 81st and Central Park West. (ISO, no zoom, no flash).
Image: GrrlScientist 2007 [wallpaper size].
This is my favorite of all the tile art pieces that can be seen at the AMNH stop on the uptown A-B-C subway lines.
Read more about the AMNH tile artworks and see the AMNH tile artworks photographic archives -- with all the animals identified.
grrlscientist | January 1, 2008tags: carnival of the cities, blog carnivals
The special holiday edition of the Carnival of Cities is now available for you to enjoy. They included a contribution from me, too!
grrlscientist | January 1, 2008tags: frog, amphibians, calla lily, National Geographic, Image of the Day
Frog in Calla Lily.
I was out with the camera after a passing thunderstorm. As I was photographing a group of calla lilies, I happened upon this little guy nestled comfortably in one, taking shelter from the rain.
Image: Sainath Kamath 2007 (photo appears here with permission by National Geographic). [larger view].
grrlscientist | January 1, 2008tags: hunting owls, snowy owl, great gray owl, hawk owl, streaming video
This wonderful streaming video features snowy owls, great gray owls and hawk owls hunting rodents in winter. This video is really interesting because it makes it easy for you to directly compare each species' different hunting styles. Cinematography by Andrew Manske. [1:59]
Source: The Northern Owls
grrlscientist | December 31, 2007
An Allosaurus skeleton in the lobby of AMNH, New Year's Eve, 2007.
Image: GrrlScientist 2007. [Larger view].
As proof that my readers are the bestest of the best, I met one of my long-time readers and her daughter at the American Museum of Natural History today and spent the afternoon with them.
It was great!
I took them to my favorite watering hole (their choice -- this is where I write for my blog when "my" library is closed (evenings, sundays and holidays)) and she and her daughter treated me to a delicious lunch and to wonderful conversation about all sorts of things; education,…
grrlscientist | December 31, 2007tags: Comet McNaught, Great Comet of 2007, Astronomy, NewScientist, Image of the Day
Comet McNaught.
Also known as the Great Comet of 2007, McNaught is the brightest comet for over 40 years and the second brightest since 1935.
Image: Noeleen Lowndes 2007 (NewScientist calendar 2008). [Much larger view]
grrlscientist | December 31, 2007tags: Birds in the News, BirdNews, ornithology, birds, avian, newsletter
Gull with Reflection.
California Gull, Larus californicus, with reflection -- Great Salt Lake, Antelope Island Causeway, April 2005.
Image: Dave Rintoul, KSU [really large view]
People Hurting Birds
The bald eagle injured when it flew into a utility line in Plumsted last week has died. Don Bonica of Toms River Avian Care in New Jersey had taken the bird in with hopes of rehabilitating it, but the attempt was unsuccessful, he said. "When I went out to take care of it this morning, it was dead," Bonica said. The bird…
grrlscientist | December 31, 2007tags: New Year's Resolutions, birding, field ornithology
This article was just published in the Maryland Ornithological Society's newsletter, the Maryland Yellowthroat. Perhaps you will find it of interest ... or maybe even of some use!
Ten New Year's Resolutions for the Field Birder
by Phil Davis
Few people really make New Year's resolutions any more. Well, I can help you fill that huge void in your life! Here is a list of resolutions that you may freely adopt.
Resolved:
To carry a copy of the latest MD/DC Records Committee (MD/DCRC) Maryland and/or DC Review Lists inside my field guide…
grrlscientist | December 31, 2007tags: Planet Earth trailer, BBC, streaming video
How can you not love and want to protect this beautiful, awe-inspiring planet that we live on? [4:42]
grrlscientist | December 30, 2007tags: Harry Potter, JK Rowling, books
Weak moments: JK Rowling may give in to temptation and write an eighth Harry Potter book.
Image: DailyMail.
Wow, the latest news is that JK Rowling might be convinced to write an eighth Harry Potter book, especially in response to her 14-year-old daughter, Jessica's, urging.
"If -- and it's a big if -- I ever write an eighth book, I doubt that Harry would be the central character. I feel I've already told his story," said Rowling. "But these are big ifs. Let's give it ten years."
The book, if Rowling writes it, could be a prequel, possibly telling the…
grrlscientist | December 30, 2007tags: Stromatolites, fossils, earth science, NewScientist, Image of the Day
Stromatolites.
These intriguing fossils are a visual portal into the emergence of life and the eventual evolving of life forms from Cambrian to modern times.
Image: Mark Boyle 2007 (NewScientist calendar 2008). [Much larger view]