Solar Flare Snapshot
- Aug, 09 2010
- By anthropod
- Geeking Out, Science
- No comments
This false-color photo captures by NASA’s Solar Dynamics Observatory, shows a solar flare accompanied by a coronal mass ejection. The ejection reached Earth’s magnetosphere within two days (93 million miles away), creating a geomagnetic storm, and subsequently aurora borealis displays seen from both poles. Source NASA’s Astronomical Picture of the Day View more photos and videos at NASA Multimedia
Perseid Meteor Shower Aug 11-13
- Aug, 09 2010
- By anthropod
- Geeking Out, Science
- No comments
The annual Perseid Meteor Shower, which is viewable every year in August, will be viewable from the 11th through the 13th. According to space.com, In 2010 the Earth is predicted to cut through the densest part of the Perseid stream sometime around 8:00 p.m. Eastern Daylight Time on Thursday. The best window of opportunity to see the shower will be the late-night hours of Wednesday on through the first light of dawn on the morning of Thursday, and then again during the late-night hours of Aug. 12 into the predawn hours of Aug. 13. The Moon, whose bright light almost totally wrecked last year’s shower, will have zero impact this year; unlike last year when it was just a few days past full, this year it will be new on Monday, Aug. 9, meaning that there will be absolutely no interference from it at all. What to expect, A very [...]
Triceratops and Torosaurus a Single Species
- Aug, 07 2010
- By anthropod
- Science
- No comments
One of the most well-known dinosaurs, the Triceratops, has been re-classed as a member of the lesser known species, Torosaurus. John Scannella and Jack Horner, researchers at the Museum of the Rockies, suggest that Triceratops is actually a juvenile version of Torosaurus, a species that apparently went through extreme morphological changes at it matures. So much so, that the fossils of each species appeared, until now, to be separate species. It’s not so hard to believe. There are plenty of species that are un-recognizable from juvenile to adult: frogs, many insects, several fish species, etc. What’s special about this case is that these dinosaurs’ had large horns and “frill” that appear to made of bone. How can bone morph like that? It would have been possible because as a juvenile, the horns and frill were underdeveloped and “spongy”, and didn’t harden into true bone until they matured. Apparently, Torosaurus will [...]
Colored Bones of Transparent Animals
- Aug, 05 2010
- By anthropod
- Artwork, Science
- No comments
“Japanese researchers have discovered a way to render a dead animal’s flesh and muscles completely transparent, and somehow dyed their skeletal systems a variety of cyan and magenta colors, all presumably in the name of scientific research.” source nerdcore
The Disappearing Spoon
- Aug, 04 2010
- By anthropod
- Books, Geeking Out, Science
- No comments
The Disappearing Spoon: And Other Tales of Madness, Love, and the History of the Elements. Whew, that’s a mouthful. The Disappearing Spoon is a new book by Sam Kean, that details interesting, little known, and funny tales and facts about how the elements have played roles in art, war, literature and more. The title refers to a trick chemists sometimes play on unsuspecting persons, wherein a spoon made of gallium is given to the victim to stir their tea with. And since gallium melts at 84 degrees Fahrenheit, the spoon would melt and disappear in right before their eyes. Amazon Says: “Official bio: Sam Kean spent years collecting mercury from broken thermometers as a kid, and now he’s a writer in in Washington, DC, for Science. His work has appeared in the New York Times Magazine, Mental Floss, Slate, Smithsonian’s Air & Space, and New Scientist. In 2009 he was [...]
Michelle Banks Watercolors
- Aug, 01 2010
- By anthropod
- Artwork, Science
- No comments
Michelle Banks is a self-taught artist who specializes in watercolor paintings, but with a twist. Most of her work is centered around natural phenomena, from bio-medical related to microscopic organisms and cell division. I absolutely love her biology-related works. See more at Try Handmade and Boing Boing
NatGeo In the Womb: Animals
- Jan, 02 2009
- By anthropod
- Photography, Science
- 5 comments
I’ve seen a lot of these photos circulating the blogs lately, but few seem to mention that they’re from National Geographic’s series, ”In the Womb”. These are amazing images are compilations of three dimentional ultrasounds, computer graphics, and photographs taken with micro cameras. Link: NatGeo In the Womb
Glass Molecules
- Nov, 29 2008
- By anthropod
- Artwork, Science
- 2 comments
I love these! They would be a perfect gift for any science geek. For me, I would want the Serotonin or Mescaline molecule. They’re handmade by artist Ed Steckley, of Celestine Glass. “The molecules are made of borosilicate glass as 3D representations of 2D molecular structures (so they can lie flat on a table). Different elements–carbon, oxygen, nitrogen, etc–are represented by different color glass. Contributors can choose the molecular structure of psychoactive chemicals such as DMT, LSD, MDMA, Psilocin, Nitrous Oxide, and Serotonin.” Source: Erowid