Get Your Gorilla Education

So if you have been keeping up with the fact that this year is the Year of the Gorilla according to UN, you know that I am attempting to do a post a month with some gorilla news. You can keep up with all the ape business by clicking my fancy link all the way at the top of the page that says "Year of the Gorilla"... creative, I know. I even made a reading list with all sorts of great books on things gorilla. You can find that to the left. I'm done with the gorilla tour now on to the news.

The World Association of Zoos and Aquariums (WAZA) has teamed up with YOG 2009 to bring you an amazing manual/educational resource aimed at teaching people about gorillas. While the PDF is aimed at children, it is well worth the read. I learned a lot reading it myself. I can now tell the difference between apes by their noses and found out what an apes daily schedule looks like. I also learned that a gorillas upper body strength is six times that of a human. I won't tell you anymore because I don't want to spoil the fun. There are even little mini games to test yourself with. It's 36 pages of gorilla madness. There are even "logs" for gorilla watching and other activities if you go to the zoo and it's all finished off with a fantastic ape mask. The above is a snapshot of the manual. So go and read... I promise you will learn something, unless you wrote the manual of course!

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An Audubon Tour

Today I had the extreme fortune of touring the Virgin Islands chapter of the Audubon Society. In case you forgot, I do work at the Butterfly Farm and part of my job is giving people "educational guided tours going through the amazing life-cycle of a butterfly."

Today's tour wasn't too different except that my group was ridiculously interested in the science, local host plants, importance, etc. My kind of tour. The best part was the applause. Ok, I admit... I like when my tours clap for me and it does happen a bit (I can be a bit of a ham) but this was special. You see, the Audubon Society knows the native flora and fauna of the area. They know how every animal plays a role and do what they can to help. These people already know a lot. It means a lot knowing that they thought I did well.

The Audubon Society has been around. They do all kinds of nifty things to get people in touch with nature. I know a few of my readers even participated in the Great Backyard Bird Count. I like the societal aspect of this. I usually explore nature on my own, but I quite like this.

Besides TAS, what organizations or groups do you belong to that help you get out there? I have helped with 4-H in the past and that was fun. Do you like societal outings, or just explore on your own?

This photo of the Owl butterfly (taken at the St. Thomas Farm by the way!) is licensed to melingo wagamama on flickr via Creative Commons. The original photo is here.

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Sunburn... ow!

Yesterday was a beach day. Today...ow. Well, let's just say that even with SPF 45 reapplied liberally, when you live at 18 degrees North latitude, sometimes the sun is a bit intense. Luckily, my Latin gene pool allows me to still look tan and not like a tomato even though it still hurts a bit. In the end it was a productive day, so not too bad for February.

So what causes sunburn anyway? Ah yes, there is always a reference to science! Sunburn is caused by UV light. If your body cannot produce enough melanin (pigment that acts like nature's sunscreen), you burn. A pale person can burn in 15 minutes while a dark person can take hours to burn.

Well, I was out for hours and I'm somewhere in the middle. And it burns. The worst of it is the major effects won't be noticeable till 24 hours after the exposure. Pretty much means I'm still cooking. I have already taken a few cool showers (I have a cistern so please don't gripe about water conservation) and applied liberal amounts of Aloe vera to my poor shoulders. I knew I kept that smelly succulent around for something.

Do you have any sun-damage horror stories?

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A Transparent Noggin

So recently the people at the Monterey Bay Aquarium think they have solved the mystery of a very peculiar fish. This fish is commonly called the barreleye (Macropinna microstoma) and has some peculiar adaptations for life in the deep. The fish was first described in 1939. It has, since that time, been assumed that it's tubular eyes were very adept at collecting light. What they didn't know was that the eyes moved. It was believed that the fish had "tunnel vision" and could only see a set area right above its head.


The two spots above the mouth are actually the fish's nostrils. It was thought that the eyes enclosed in its transparent dome could only look upward. Recently, however, researchers with Monterey Bay used ROVs (remotely operated vehicles) to film these creatures in the wild. In the video you can see the eyes rotate quite a bit. It also appears that these fish steal their food from siphonophores floating by with food trapped in their tentacles. Siphonophores, by the way are Cnidarians (pronounced nye-DAIR-ians) and are related to corals and jellyfish. These creatures trap animals in very long tentacles and consume them similar to jellies. The barreleye sees the trapped food and then swwops in for the steal.

The "sheild" around the eyes is also a new discovery. Up until this video, any specimens found had no sheild. This was probably due to damage on the way up from the deep . This is evident in the following illustration from the Canadian Museum of Nature.

As you can see, it looks a bit different from the same fish studied alive using the ROVs.
They also discovered how the fish swims. Using its amazing flat fins, they can almost hover in place. They can also manuever quite well. To find out more, read the press release here.

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Monday Already?!?!?

Ah... I really have been sick. I can't believe I am doing another Monday post. I hope you all have had a great week. Now on to another installment of Monday Blues! Today I feel like being mushy. Sometimes you have to do it. This picture is from my wedding. They are my bridesmaids. They look lovely in this turquoise blue. I wanted them to all wear what they wanted, but they wanted to look like bridesmaids so they all have matchy dresses. Aren't they lovely? I figured this would make me feel better since I still feel a bit out of it.

Remember, you can participate in Monday Blues as well. Just do a post and leave the link in the comments... or you can just leave the picture in the comments, that works too! Don't forget, next week SeaLaura hosts.

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I'm Sick!

Sorry about the lack of actual posting, but it appears that despite my best efforts, I am sick. It started a bit on Sunday, but man, now it's really kicking my butt. I feel blah, achy, more blah, congested, and just plain blah. That is what I get for talking smack on the cold. It's stalking me now. Urgh. Hope you are having a good week!

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Arts in the VI

Last night I was fortunate enough to witness something exciting in the Virgin Islands. Unfortunately, ill prepared as I usually am, I did not have a camera or even a cell phone to take pictures. Before I get to that though, a little background.

Most people don't realize it, but the Virgin Islands are FILLED with artists of every sort. The father of Impressionism, Camille Pissaro, was born in St. Thomas in 1830.

There are too many artists to even list here.

There is an artists' colony (sort of) at Tillett Gardens. It was started by a famous silkscreen artist named Jim Tillett in the 60's. Here you can find a candle maker, a community theatre, Everyday Clay, Ridvan Studios, an art supply store, and more. The picture to the right was taken while I worked at a shop in Tillett's painting glass and other things. Yes, that is the Crimson Ghost on my apron and believe you me, that apron has a LOT more paint on it now!

There are also a ton of local crafters, wood whittlers, galleries and musicians. There is a native arts co-op here as well. The guy in the picture with the blue and white hat is the hubs with longer hair. I actually have a few of my mini paintings in this shop.

So with such a plethora of artists/galleries/art floating around these parts, why are there no art/alternative arts council? Well now we have one of these covered. Recently, some people on the island (some of them friends of mine) started a non-profit, 7-minus-7, or the Alternative Art Alliance of St. Thomas. They are having a hard time with the name. Artists! Last night, after going to a drive- in movie (more of a hike-in) on Water Island, a friend let us know that he had some art up in a warehouse near Pueblo (local grocer).

After taking the ferry back from Water Island, we went right over and I was BLOWN AWAY! They have converted an old warehouse into an amazing expression of artistic freedom and community. The walls are open to anyone who wants to mural on them and a few of them already have work by Vincent Bambini. The show last night was "Affordable Art." All the pieces were under $300. They had a "band" playing. Mostly it was an act of revolving musicians, but they were good. They have couches set up in the main warehouse where the murals and band are and all the art was in what I assume used to be the offices. They play cult movies on one of the walls and have a bit of a bar.

I have been invited to participate as many of the people there last night knew me. How I will participate is beyond me, but I am looking forward to spending more time there. Next time I promise pictures. Sorry, no science today. I actually have to paint more bags. The Butterfly Farm almost sold out!

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Monday Blues 5

Ah, Monday! Why is it that you bring the Blues?

I have the blues today because I missed the blues and jazz concert I had been waiting for (for about a month!) last night. Oh well. C'est la vie, n'est pa? I also went through some old pictures and I miss having hair this short.

To the right is me in, um, 2004 I suppose. Nick and I made a trip cross country. We stopped in Steamboat Springs, CO and hiked around for a bit with a friend. We came across an amazing waterfall and I had to climb to the top. We did and this image is my proof! Yes, that is me hanging from a tree at the top of the falls. I am wearing my favorite blue Hard Rock hoodie. If you look even closer, I have a little blue star in my ear. I wonder what happened to that earring. Hmmm. Not the most flattering picture, but you try to look cute upside down! That was a fun adventure!

If only I could remember where we were. I want to go back.

Don't forget, SeaLaura is hosting this week so go leave a link to your submission of Monday Blues in the comments!

Happy Monday!

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Water for the World

Fifteen students at the University of Iowa did something pretty amazing recently. When faced with a challenge in an engineering class, lack of clean drinking water for 1/6th of the population on earth, the students came up with something remarkable. What started as a class project, led them to create an EPA winning award and recognition at the 2009 Annual Meeting of the American Association for the Advancement of Science (AAAS) in Chicago yesterday.

What was this amazing invention? A hand-held water sanitizer for a cost of about $5 a piece. The students won $75,000 in awards and are hoping to use this to reach even more people. The students are already working with resident in Xicotepec, Mexico and want to add Gahna to the list of places they want to impact. These water sanitizers will not only bring drinking water to people who normally don't have access to clean sources, but by doing so, can drasticaly increase the standard of living for many people and make their lives healthier one drop at a time.


Photo from Theilr's photostream on Flickr and used under Creative Commons.

source article

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Cure for the Common Cold May be Closer Than We Think

Recently a team of researchers from the University of Maryland School of Medicine and the University of Wisconsin-Madison have assembled many pieces of the genetic code for the human rhinovirus a.k.a. THE COMMON COLD!!! What they did was compile a bunch of information from various mutations of the virus and compiled a sort of family tree. Doing this tied together a bunch of information and makes the mapping of how to attack this virus even more plausible.

"There has been no success in developing effective drugs to cure the common cold, which we believe is due to incomplete information about the genetic composition of all these strains"

Important findings in the study are:

• The cold is organized into about 15 small groups of differing viruses with a common ancestor
• The virus skips a step in protein synthesis making it a faster attacking virus
• Some symptoms occur when two different strains of the virus exchange genetic material
• As many as 800 mutations were found when compared to older reference strains

Don't worry. I will give you the science behind the cold soon!

source article here.

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A Floyd Post

Since my mind is not in science mode today (well, it sort of is...) I am going to do a post dedicated to my favorite animal: my dog. The dog has been touted as man's best friend for a really long time. Floyd is a part of my family. As Cheryl from My Wildlife Sanctuary did a few weeks ago, this is in honor of our pals and our therapists.

They lick our wounds when we are hurt and jump with us when we are excited. This is for you, Floyd, and all the other dogs out there that make us happy. Please feel free to paste cutie pictures of your "children" in the comments!

1st picture: Floyd being the "coconut" retriever she is.
2nd picture: guard dog Floyd
3rd picture: A woman I met named Christina in St. John at some ruins with Floyd. She said Floyd was her lioness.
4th picture: Me and Floyd cell phone picture this morning
5th picture: Floyd at Lerkenlund.

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A Little Late on the Uptake

Remember the weird little invertebrate I posted about in January? The new species of carnivorous sea squirt was written about yesterday in ScienceDaily. I feel sad because this is where I get my inspiration for a lot of my posts. I hope this isn't going to be a usual thing. I really enjoy their site for articles, but if I am finding out about these things from other sources much earlier, I may have to rethink using them as a source. Obviously I get a lot of the same news from other places... However, some of those other places are oddly slow for certain things as well. Discovery News did an article yesterday about the woes of tequila. Sound familiar? Obviously these people need to read their inboxes a bit sooner if little blogs the net over are posting news more timely than the big papa sites. Or maybe I am being persnickety today and need to calm down. Today is a beautiful day. I should go outside and check my tomatoes. Sorry about the grumbles.

Update: 3:33 pm

ScienceDaily just (as in a few hours ago) posted about olive oil cancer research done by Catalonian Institute of Oncology and the University of Granada... since they were my source for my other olive articles about the exact same thing, I can only assume they are recycling articles for better readership.

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Monday Blues #4

Allllllrightyyyy! So my post for Monday Blues is a bit later in the day, but I hope you enjoy it. This is me and the hubs in St. John overlooking Coral Bay. we're both in blue... but this picture takes my blues away. We don't have too many days off together and this trip was a blast! Note my sunburned cheeks! I know my other partner in crime for these postings, SeaLaura, will love the St. John reference!

I don't usually post too many pictures of myself and less of the hubs, but I like this picture.

Remember... you are allowed to post submissions for Monday Blues. Just leave a link in the comments! Have a happy Monday!

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Microscopic Imagery- Photos of Tiny Things

My mum-in-law (thanks Mom #2!) sent me this amazing link today to a website called Visuals Unlimited. The website is full of amazing photos of the microscopic and natural world. The website is smart and won't let you just upload images to other websites... So I want you to click here.

Did you click?

Ok... I know not everyone is into bugs like me, but they have all kinds of neat and sometimes disturbing (they do medical photography as well) images. The skill level is outstanding. I think this is the sort of skill all photographers aspire to... if we ever reach that level is another story all together. In the end though, it is jut really beautiful stuff.

Go. Look. Enjoy!

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More on Synesthesia

If you don't recall, a while ago I did a post on people who see color for words, smell days of the week, etc. This "condition" (another word I hate because it doesn't seem that serious to me) is called synesthesia and it appears that scientists are closer to figuring out what exactly causes it. It is known to run in families but the genetics behind it aren't understood.

Recently, scientists think they have found the genes linked to this. Why am I posting such a little blurb?

I suppose this goes back to earlier posts I have done about genetics. Mostly they were about tampering with bacteria and making beer good for you. One post was a Debate! about designer babies.

Fig 1. There is nothing wrong with having different genes than everything around you. You just stand out a bit more.

I have a hard time with certain genetic ventures. I am not a big fan of certain types of bioengineering. Some of the stuff is ok. I can deal with more nutritious rice. Designer babies and finding a "cure" for something that isn't really debilitating (like synesthesia) bothers me. I say this because as someone who is dubbed as having a "disorder," I honestly used to have days where I had dreams of nothing more than never having another mood swing again.

I have longed for the days when there would be a magic pill to fix me so that I could finish school— without kidney or liver problems. However, the more soul-searching I do, the more I realize that without my condition/disorder/whatever I would not be the nutty, artistic, music playing, science geek that I am today. Yes, at times I consider my disorder debilitating and in those instances I turn to drugs (prescribed of course)— but do I want it to go away? Would I have the same sense of adventure? Same need to explore? Same insatiable curiosity? Same passion? Probably not! Would I feel guilty about passing on this genetic trait to a child? ABSOLUTELY, but that is my call to make, not anyone else's.

Fig 2. Rawr! I needed to vent

I didn't mean to turn this into a rant, but sometimes I think that while the science is good, the wording and reasoning why is flawed. I know that studying the genetics behind this will give us better insight to how we function as the amazing machine we are and this will lead to insight on other things that may not have otherwise even been discovered... I just don't want to alter my genes to fit in.

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Ocean Acidification

The threat of ocean acidification is getting some attention recently. Many marine scientists (more than 150) from all over the world are asking policy-makers to take this threat very seriously and find a way to reduce CO2 emissions. According to these scientists, the acidification is already detectable and is rapidly accelerating. How does CO2 in the atmosphere cause ocean acidification?

The ocean absorbs a lot of the gas and it is dissolved and converted to carbonic acid. According to Oceana, this acid destroys many shells and layers on animals that are key to ecosystem survival. The acid breaks down these calcium carbonate shells.

Not only does the CO2 affect animals with calcium carbonate shells, but animals like squid that require a lot of oxygen will not be able to absorb as much. Acidity in the ocean also affects the squid’s blood acidity.

The oceans pH has already dropped from 8.16 to 8.05 since the late 1980’s. There is some evidence that this drastic change in pH will also hamper the development of various marine larvae.

What can you do to help? Besides lowering the amount of CO2 you personally produce, you can write policy makers. Let people know. Talk to others about how lovely the ocean is. Remind them how important it is and how much of our oxygen comes from the ocean.

Off my little soapbox. Sorry. I get carried away.

You can find the source here.

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Super-Sized Snake

Scientists uncovered a fossilized snake the size of a bus recently in Colombia. The snake has been dubbed the titanoboa and was a ridiculous 42 ft (13 m) long! The longest snakes today get to be about 32 ft but are quite thin. This snake was believe to weigh a ton! And I thought the snake I held was heavy... sheesh!

The picture to the left with the vertabrae gives a good idea of how massive these things were. The one on the left comes from an anaconda. The one on the right is the fossil of the super snake.

The snake (given the scientific name Titanoboa cerrejonensis) was found in a coal mine excavation. Scientists working together from the University of Toronto, Smithsonian Tropical Research Institute in Panama, and the University of Florida determined the snake for what it was and using the fosilised evidence determined that this jumbo snake lived approximately 58-60 million years ago when this region of Colombia (Cerrejón, hence the species name cerrejonesis) was a flood plain. The mine operation here is enormous and is considered one of the world's largest. In recent years, however, there has ben a pretty decent haul of goods added to the fossil record extracted from this mine.

This recent discovery, however, seems to eclipse them all. The snake has broken all records for snakes found and honestly, I wouldn't want to swim in water where that thing may have lived! I don't mind snakes, but when one can eat me without even trying, time to admire from a distance. 60 million years is a great distance for me! This is about all the snake I can handle. Yes I am still glowing about my snake handling.

The original article was published in Nature.

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Monday Blues....

This week I am a bit late. But I am ready!

My picture today is a Rocky Mountain Bighorn Sheep (Ovis canadensis). The males are commonly known as rams. The horns can weigh as much as 30 pounds which is more than all its other bones combined!

It is on the endangered species list and I was lucky enough to see one in Flaming Gorge on the Utah/Wyoming Border . As you can see, he is wearing a lovely blue tracking collar.


These guys are pretty hard to see in the wild so needless to say, I was very excited when I saw this guy. Bighorns do have a home range. They usually hang out in very protected/hidden/middle-of-nowhere areas near rocky cliffs. Part of their decline is disease cause by domesticated sheep. They are in steady decline and you can adopt one here. If you want to find out more, there are tons of great sites. I may do a post later in the week with a bit more detail. I would be blue if I never got to see one again.

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Mas Problemas

Ok ok... I give. Since my website seems to keep getting kicked by IE (Internet Explorer) because of some of the scripting... I am going to a very old blogger template. Unfortunately this means I will lose any of my wonderful comments, but it's ok. I will still have them save on a JS -kit website so that I can remenisc on all the wonderful things you all write. I'm quite sad as I really love the new layout, but I am here to please so I must revert. So many of you liked it as well, but I am sure I will come up with something. Oh, and don't forget to start thinking about your posts for Monday Blues. Tomorrow's is going to be over at SeaLaura, so go leave your links in the comments there.

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