Bessemer Science and Nature

A gay caveman has been found

2011-04-07T07:23:00.000-07:00

Fossils are science (II).

Two years ago I posted a story about an important archaeological find, a 47 million year old ancestor.

Now archaeologists in the Czech Republic have found the 5,000 year old remains of a gay man. The skeletal remains were positioned in the way that women were normally buried, and were surrounded by domestic jugs rather than flint knives and hammers, as men were normally buried. In addition, the head of the body was positioned toward the east when buried, as the remains of women were.* Men were buried with their heads toward the west.

The male body – said to date back to between 2900-2500BC – was discovered buried in a way normally reserved only for women of the Corded Ware culture in the Copper Age.

The skeleton was found in a Prague suburb in the Czech Republic with its head pointing eastwards and surrounded by domestic jugs, rituals only previously seen in female graves.

Picture from the Daily Mail UK

Not only is this significant in that it shows homosexuality has been a factor throughout human existence, but it also indicates that it was accepted at the time.

*I noticed that one article stated the head was facing east, and the other said it was facing west. But both articles pointed to the importance of the direction and indicated the head was facing east. I think the one article just misstated the direction.

"From history and ethnology, we know that people from this period took funeral rites very seriously so it is highly unlikely that this positioning was a mistake," said lead archaeologist Kamila Remisova Vesinova.

This is an important anthropological and ethnological find.

The Benthic Community

2010-05-18T10:05:00.000-07:00

Microscopic ecosystems are science.

The BP oil spill threatens to destroy an entire ecosystem. More than one, actually, since the coral reefs of the Florida Keys are now under threat. And the ocean floor, one mile deep, is an ecosystem as well.

But the benthic community is the ecosystem that is of the most urgent concern. The wafer-thin top two millimeters of mud in the coastal Louisiana marsh, made up of microscopic algae and invertebrates are what holds the marsh together and what provides the nutritional support for everything from shellfish, crabs and shrimp and eventually to gators and fish and ducks.

This information comes from an article printed in the Times-Picayune in New Orleans.

The tiny microscopic algae in the mud produces a sticky substance that helps bind the soils in the marsh, and thus is of huge importance as far as fighting the loss of the coastal land.

Picture credit Ellis Lucia/Times Picayune

Marine biologists estimate that 97 percent of all marine species in the Gulf of Mexico depend on the estuaries at some point in their life cycles.

Picture credit Dan Swenson/Times-Picayune

"It's an incredible engine for a wide range of life," said Kevin Carman, dean of the College of Basic Sciences at Louisiana State University.

How will it cope with the possibility of a covering of oil?

"If the toxic components of the oil kill those invertebrates foraging on the algae, then the algae will grow out of control," Carman said.

The algae eventually would form a thick mat over the marsh mud, preventing sunlight from penetrating below its surface.

"If the algae can't get sunlight, they die. If they die, the invertebrates have no food, and the whole web is disrupted."

There is no best-case scenario as far as the benthic community is concerned. Not if the oil reaches the marsh, which apparently it has, in some areas.

We will all watch, with great concern, what happens, and how the entities that are responsible and those that are responding react.

Intersex fish in Alabama waterways

2010-02-02T06:36:00.000-08:00

The environment is science.

Parade magazine on Sunday January 31, 2010 published an article describing mysterious intersex fish appearing in increasing numbers in rivers in the United States.

Included in the study was the Mobile River Basin which covers most of Alabama.

One third of male smallmouth bass and one fifth of male largemouth bass exhibit both male and female sex characteristics.

Photo credit Parade magazine

"Lab studies are under way to isolate potential causes," lead author Jo Ellen Hinck says.

Katherine Baer of the nonprofit group American Rivers says, "We see what's happening to the fish, and the water they're swimming in is the water we are drinking."

The Symphony of Science

2010-01-07T11:19:00.000-08:00

Music is science.

The Symphony of Science is a musical project headed by John Boswell whereby science and philosophy are delivered in musical form.

There have been four installments, and I am including all of them here. I hope you enjoy auto-tune. In my opinion, it gets better with each video.

The newest video, released yesterday, is the last in order on this page, and includes Carl Sagan, David Attenborough, and Jane Goodall. It is titled "The Unbroken Thread."

First, "A Glorious Dawn," featuring Carl Sagan and Stephen Hawking.

Let me stop right here and say that the mysteries and beauty of our planet rival anything seen on Pandora, in the movie Avatar, and I love that movie. That sentiment is brought out in the next video.

OK, the next video is "We are all Connected," and features Carl Sagan, Richard Feynman, Neil deGrasse Tyson, and Bill Nye.

The third video is "Our Place in the Cosmos," featuring Carl Sagan, Robert Jastrow, Richard Dawkins, Stephen Hawkins, and Michio Kaku.

Finally, "The Unbroken Thread."

More information, and the lyrics are included at the link above.

The Gulf Fritillary

2009-09-28T08:00:00.001-07:00

Butterflies are science.

I chased this little fritillary around the backyard for a while before she got comfortable enough with me to let me approach her while she was feeding.

The Gulf Fritillary is common across much of the United States, and even can be found far out over the waters of the Gulf of Mexico.

Here she lighted on this tall stem and her weight pulled it over so she was practically hanging upside-down.

She landed on a variety of flowers in the yard.

You can see the silver-white orbs and streaks below on her wings.

What's happening on Saturn???

2009-08-13T06:00:00.000-07:00

Astronomy is science.

There is no better place to let your imagination run wild than in space. So when I came across this picture taken by the Cassini spacecraft during its exploration of Saturn, I wondered. Something is piercing the F ring of Saturn.

The blog post (on Discover) where I saw it was titled "Like the fist of an angry god," and that is a great place to begin to imagine what is really going on.

"I mean, seriously: what the hell happened here?"

I'm not a big fan of science fiction, but even I could make a story out of this, as the Saturnians might be sending a probe to try to figure out why the earthlings are destroying our own planet.

Or, as the "bad astronomer" speculates,

"Is this object on an orbit that intersects the rings so that it plunges up through them and then again down into them every time it circles Saturn? If so, how does that affect the rings overall, especially over millions of years?

"Or was this a singular event, some small object whose orbit was affected by a nearby massive moon, changing its path, putting it on a collision course with Saturn’s mighty and vast ring system?"

Here's a zoom of the event.

One of the comments on The bad astronomer suggests, "Fist? No, more likely evidence of Thor’s hammer being thrown around."

Open the link and read the post and comments. And wonder.

Robins and a plant id question

2009-07-27T06:49:00.000-07:00

Juvenile robins are science

I was cleaning out a flower bed in the front yard last week and leaned up against a crepe myrtle to rest. The tree shook, I was unaware that there was a bird nest above me, and three robin juvies flew out. The mama and the poppa were around too, and went ballistic. Sorry birdies, I didn't know you were there.

Plant identification is science

This plant and another just like it came up among the hills of squash in the garden. None of the gardeners know what it is. It has a really pretty flower.

The leaves have an almost rubbery feel and the entire plant is covered with a sticky substance that gets on your hands.

A fruit is beginning to develop.

They think some seeds must have mixed in with the squash seeds.

Hurricane killers

2009-07-16T09:42:00.000-07:00

Stopping hurricanes is science.

Wow, I've been away from science blogging for a while. I've been concentrating on finishing a book (writing) and another new writing opportunity.

But today's article in the Birmingham News about stopping hurricanes in their tracks is intriguing. Software wiz and zillionnaire Bill Gates is seeking patents on a gizmo that would suck the warm water from the surface and replace it with cool water from the depths.

I just hope I'm not floating in a sailboat nearby when the big suck begins.

There are other problems I see with this, but I am sure these things will be taken into account. My main concern is that the rain from tropical systems, hurricanes included, often saves the southeast from drought conditions. Now if his idea just reduces the killer storm to a tropical storm and we still get the rain, then maybe OK.

And I understand his concern that climate change may be leading to more powerful and more frequent storms. So getting ahead of the game is good.

"This type of technology is not something humankind would try as a 'Plan A' or 'Plan B, ' " he (Paul Holman) wrote. "These inventions are a 'Plan C' where humans decide that we have exhausted all of our behavior changing or alternative energy options and need to rely on mitigation technologies."

Lots of people on blogs and on al.com are noting that concern about weather patterns and heat transfer and such and are warning not to mess with Mother Nature.

47 million year old ancestor?

2009-05-19T16:04:00.000-07:00

Fossils are Science

A 47 million year old fossil is shedding light on evolution and human ancestry. The skeleton was found in Germany. Read it here.

Picture credit The Guardian

From that story:

"She tells so many stories. We have just started the research on this fabulous specimen," said Jorn Hurum, of the University of Oslo Natural History Museum, one of the scientists reporting the find.

Read about Hurum here.

Photo credit Atlantic Productions

She just might be our direct ancestor. Or an "aunt."

Read about the upcoming film here.

And liftoff....

2009-05-12T06:08:00.000-07:00

STS-125 is Science

"And, liftoff of space shuttle Atlantis, the final visit to enhance the vision of Hubble into the deepest grandeur of our universe."

Keep up to date on the mission here, at NASA.

Here's what's on tap for today:

STS-125 Crew to Inspect Heat Shield, Prepare for Rendezvous with Hubble

During their first full day in orbit, the STS-125 crew members will inspect space shuttle Atlantis’ heat shield and prepare for Wednesday’s rendezvous with the Hubble Space Telescope.

The crew will use Atlantis’ robotic arm and orbiter boom extension to check out the spacecraft’s underside and the leading edges of its wings. The inspections are conducted to see if any damage occurred to the heat shield during the climb to orbit that began when Atlantis lifted off at 2:01 p.m. EDT Monday from Kennedy Space Center, Fla.

The crew members will check out tools they will use during the rendezvous with the telescope. They also are slated to check out spacesuits they will use during the mission’s five scheduled spacewalks.

A Rare Sight in Bessemer

2009-05-08T12:15:00.000-07:00

Is this Science? This was spotted in Bessemer today. This is a close up.

One might think it is the backdrop for those Baptist Princeton Hospital Ads, but it's really just the blue sky, something of a rarity over the last week or so.

Here's another view.

Why is the sky blue? Here's the answer, at Science Made Simple with charts and figures and all. Basically, though, the answer is that the light from the sun is scattered after hitting gas molecules in the atmosphere (this is caused Rayleigh scattering). The scattering is more effective at short wavelengths or the blue end of the spectrum.

In space, the sky looks black because there is no scattering, since there is no atmosphere.

Enjoy the sky, and the clouds. Lay in the grass and look up at the clouds and name the shapes. Act like a kid.

Wooly Mulleins are science. This is a Wooly Mullein. Verbascum thapsus. Also called Great Mullein. There are several species and hybrids of mulleins. So maybe its not, but anyway, it's a weed, they say, but I have a difficult time killing one. I will mow around them, as I have this one for two years (they are biennials) or plant around them. There are a couple coming up next to my gate by the sidewalk in front. I guess I will just let them grow.

...Bring May Flowers

2009-05-07T06:40:00.000-07:00

Flowering Plants are Science.

The rain is great for the flowers (and weeds) but sure cuts into the ability to run outside and take bug, herp and bird pictures.

Here are some of the flowers that are blooming this week. You can see water on some of these, and they may seem a little beat down. that is because I did run outside between rainstorms to get these pictures yesterday.

Empty Nest Syndrome

2009-04-30T08:58:00.000-07:00

Leaving the nest is Science. Remember the Robin's eggs hatched on April 17. Thirteen days later, the babies have flown the coop.

I saw all three, but could only photograph two. Now the journey begins. Remember I mentioned a mortality rate of about 80% for Robins. I saw a stray cat in the backyard this morning, just after I took these pictures. The cat was no where near these guys, though. Still, danger lurks.

Robins on the Attack

2009-04-29T06:49:00.000-07:00

Robins protecting their young is Science.

These are not the best pictures, but this is what I have to deal with when taking pictures of the babies. She comes right at me.

If these were Blue Jays I would be wearing a hard hat because I have dealt with them before and they will strike you. The Robins are not quite as aggressive.

She's doing a good job. So far the babies are safe and growing like weeds.

Recycle this

2009-04-28T06:25:00.001-07:00

Rethinking Recycling is Science. I don't mean, stop recycling. But lets look at where the trash comes from.

In the top circle, Gross National Trash, notice that only 2.5% comes from municipal solid waste. Most, 76%, comes from industrial waste.

Look at the bottom circle. What do you recycle? Paper? Some plastics? Yard trimmings? Even if we recycled 100% of the waste we generate in our homes, it would still just be a fraction of the waste that is generated in the country.

So, we need to focus on making sure we support companies that work to reduce waste, and encourage all industries to do better.

This article from Mother Jones, via my cousin at Niches, explains it all.

Whose waste do you think is more damaging to the environment. The neighbor's yard clippings and newspapers or the waste generated by the Mercedes Plant? Now don't get all over me for picking on Mercedes, I just used them because they are close by and big.

Robins of Power

2009-04-26T18:05:00.000-07:00

Growth rates are science.

Baby robins and most other birds grow fast. These guys are getting feathers and their eyes are open and they will flying the coop within a few days.

My pictures are not as good, but of course my robins are 12 feet up in the air and hard to get to, but outside the White House Press room is a nest, and this photo by Ron Edmonds of the AP shows one of the babies being fed a worm. Ron has primo photo equipment, I am sure.

Earth, the movie, is science. Speaking of birds taking their first steps, or flights, did you see Earth, the movie? We saw it this weekend and the baby ducklings jumping from the tree to the ground was great.

I give the movie 5 stars because it reminded me of watching Disney on Sunday nights on a black and white TV when I was growing up. But the shots in this movie far surpassed the nature scenes of 50 years ago. The New Guinea Birds of paradise were unbelievable, as was the "circle of life" footage. Not all nature stories have happy endings (at least for the prey, the hunter seems pretty satisfied).

And on Earth Day 2010, Oceans will premiere.

Plants and Animals

2009-04-24T05:41:00.000-07:00

Behavior is Science. When I climb on the ladder to get a picture these baby Robins now open their mouths wide thinking Momma is here with food.

But when Momma and Daddy Robin notice I am there and start squawking the babies shut their mouths and flatten out so the supposed predator might not notice them.

Medicinal plants are science.

Foxglove is Digitalis purpurea and is the plant from which some cardiac glycosides such as digitoxin and digoxin are derived.

Roses that change color are Science. Mutabilis is a rose from prior to 1894 (about the same age as our house). It opens a peachy yellow, changes each day, first to a light pink and then to a dark pink. The change is caused by sunlight acting on the pigments. The fragrance changes daily too.

Happy Earth Day

2009-04-22T06:30:00.000-07:00

Earth Day is Science. Today is Earth Day. Read my essay on Human Responsibility As Part of God's Creation if you haven't already.

See the movie Earth. Here's the trailer.

I've been trying to get pictures of the baby robins and they all turned out fuzzy, then I realized that the babies are fuzzy.

Daddy Robin was not happy with me hanging around for so long, and tried to distract me. What was very interesting was that as Momma and Daddy Robin were calling to lure me away from the nest, a male cardinal showed up to assist. I guess they feel they were successful, because I went on about my business in another area of the yard.

Big Momma

2009-04-20T04:49:00.001-07:00

Protecting kids is science. Well at least protecting baby robins is. During the storm yesterday momma robin stayed on the nest, and spread herself into a wide bodied robin to keep her babies dry. She covered the entire nest.

After the storm (between storms, I should say) when the sun came out for a few minutes, momma robin left the nest to go find worms. The babies were dry and safe from harm (but not from a marauding photographer).

Hatching

2009-04-18T07:28:00.000-07:00

Hatching is Science. Yesterday I noticed poppa Robin on the nest with momma Robin. If you look closely, you can see two birds in the picture. Momma's sitting and Poppa is behind her.

I thought he was just bringing her some food (they did exhibit some beak to beak action) but his interest may have gone beyond that. The eggs hatched yesterday, two days earlier than I predicted. Here two have hatched and there is one egg that has a hole in it and the baby inside can be seen.

Later all three eggs had hatched and now they are hungry. They are pretty much all beak and eyes at this point (though their eyes are not open). I can't get a picture looking straight down into the nest because of the way it sits in the Camellia bush, so one hungry mouth is all we see.

Jonesboro Community Garden

2009-04-17T06:35:00.001-07:00

Community Gardens are Science. Education about nature and gardening, the public health aspects of gardening and of feeding the community. Yes, that is science.

Community Gardens come in many forms. Some are planted just to enjoy, others are planted to provide food, and others are planted to be educational. The Jonesboro Garden will meet all three of those purposes. We are getting there.

Near the garden a family of doves is in the making. The momma dove lays two eggs in a loosely constructed nest of twigs. Later the baby doves will be fed partially digested regurgitated food called "pigeon milk."

This rose (Rosa multiflora) which lines the alley would be considered a pest in some areas, but here (at least in my opinion) it is a welcome early bloomer.

This rose can be distinguished from similar species by the fringed stipules at the leaf petiole base.

Coreopsis is growing and blooming in an opportune place along an alleyway.

Inside the garden this rose is Zephirine Drouhin, an old Bourbon rose climber from 1868. It is one of the most fragrant roses, but to enjoy the fragrance you will have to get on your knees for now. It won't take long for the vine to grow up on the structure it is planted next to, however. This rose is thornless, and will provide repeat blooms all season (once established) after a flurry of early spring blooms.

A nice surprise for us was this growth from a weeping willow that we planted and that we later thought had died. Now there is new growth, and it will probably grow pretty fast. We will stake it up soon.

There are also raised boxes for community members to plant vegetables. Last year there were sunflowers, squash, tomatoes, corn and more. These are sitting empty so far.

What Males Do

2009-04-16T06:45:00.000-07:00

What anoles do is Science.

I know you all think I just sit around taking pictures of lizards and flowers, but really I don't. I just walked out the back door yesterday, and here was this guy, showing his stuff, like the males of so many species do (humans included).

The males are highly territorial. The dewlap, or "throat fan" is extended when approached by another male or if he feels threatened. They bob their head up and down and if the other male continues to advance, a battle may occur.

Humans are so lizard like in this respect. But, if I get into that, my natural science becomes more social science, so I will let it rest.

The Robin's Dark Secret

2009-04-15T05:10:00.000-07:00

Viral Transmission is Science. I said before that Robins are not your innocent backyard birds, and while we are waiting on the blessed event, expected Sunday, I will share with you the dark secret of the Robin.

It seems that they are heavily involved in the spread of West Nile Virus. CDC West Nile info

People are infected with the West Nile virus after being bitten by an infected mosquito. Mosquitoes become infected after taking a blood meal from an infected bird. The virus gets into the bird's salivary glands, and when the mosquito takes a blood meal from a human, say, flipping burgers on the grill in the backyard, the virus is injected into a person.

Now before you barricade yourself inside...even in areas where the disease is spreading, very few mosquitoes carry it and even if an infected mosquito bites there is less than a 1% chance of the person getting the disease and becoming seriously ill.

Look at how the virus spread. Here is the incident map from 1999.

Incident map from 2000. The disease spread fairly slowly that first year.

Incident map of 2001. The disease, while not very prevalent, occurred over a much greater area, including our area of Alabama.

Incident map of 2002. Boom. An explosion of cases across the country.

Here is the 2008 West Nile activity map, with human case numbers for each state. Notice Alabama had 21 cases.

So what is the Robin's role? It turns out that Robin's are one of the preferred birds for the mosquitoes to feed on.

Not all mosquitoes carry West Nile. Culex mosquitoes are the principle transmitter of West Nile. Culex pipiens is a common mosquito around here. In a 2006 study , researchers found that while robins were less than 4% of the birds in the areas of study, they accounted for 43.4% of mosquito feedings. the researchers found that the virus does well in Robins, and determined that Robins may account for more than 50% of infected mosquitoes. This is important for humans because Robins arrive earlier than many birds, thus epidemics can start earlier in the year. And if Robins leave, the mosquitoes then turn to humans for their food, thus spreading the virus.

Listen to to NPR's "All Things Considered" 2006 report on Robins and West Nile.

But even though Robins hold this dark secret, they are not the bad guys. As long as they are in your backyard, the mosquitoes are less likely to bite you.

To avoid mosquito bites:

Use repellents with DEET, picaridin or oil of lemon eucalyptus.

Wear long sleeves and pants when outdoors. Mosquitoes can bite through thin clothing, so spray the clothing with repellent as well.

Be aware that dusk to dawn are the mosquito's favorite feeding hours.

To reduce mosquitoes:

Drain standing water. Flower pot saucers, bird baths, pet water dishes, buckets and any other container should be emptied and changed at least once or twice a week to interrupt the mosquito life cycle.

Install or repair window screens.

Clean up the neighborhood. Alleys, parks and vacant lots can have containers that hold water and allow mosquitoes to breed.

Gravity Waves

2009-04-14T05:48:00.000-07:00

Gravity Waves are Science. Uncommon, but science. I remember we had this happen back in the late 90's when I lived on the edge of Shades Mountain and we thought we were going to blow off the crest.

The National Weather Service gives this definition:

Gravity Wave
A wave created by the action of gravity on density variations in the stratified atmosphere. A generic classification for lee waves, mountains waves, and many other waves that form in the atmosphere .

Here is a video of such an occurrence.

What happens is there is a large area of rain, a thunderstorm. On the back side of the storm, some drying occurs in the middle layers of the atmosphere. An updraft of air occurs and this disturbs the atmosphere. The air runs into a stable air mass and is redirected downward. When those winds near the surface, they spread out, producing the high winds that cause the damage.

Gravity waves can really be serious when they occur in conjunction with a tornado. In April 1998, the tornado that caused so much damage and killed 32 people in and around Oak Grove near Birmingham was a relatively weak tornado until it was hit by an undular bore, a type of gravity wave, which amplified it into an F5 killer.

Gravity waves are difficult to predict. The damage can be substantial. Many people had it worse than us, we just had a neighbor's tree fall into our yard.

But another neighbor had this happen. Remarkably, there is minimal damage to the house.

Herps

2009-04-13T06:46:00.000-07:00

Habits of anoles (and herpetology students) are science. I can't exactly claim that riding on the hoods of cars is habitual for anoles, but something told him to leap up on the front of the car, unknown to us. These pictures, from inside the vehicle, were taken about 9 blocks from our home, when a green anole, Anolis carolinensis, popped up onto a windshield wiper. I assume he had hitched a ride from home.

My hope was that he would stay on the car (he disappeared under the edge of the hood when we resumed travelling) until we got home. Of course that would mean staying put while we ate lunch at Popeye's.
When we got home I found him, brown by that time, squeezed into a cranny of the wiper apparatus. I prodded him out with a twig and got him over to the fence, where he belonged.

I wonder what he told his buddies.

Riding on the hoods of cars was habitual for students of Dr. Robert Mount at Auburn. Dr. Mount was my professor at Auburn for some herpetology instruction. Part of our training involved capturing and identifying various species of reptiles and amphibians, and one of the best ways to catch certain salamanders was to drive slowly along country roads at night, while a student or two sat on the hood looking for critters crossing the road. (Why does the salamander cross the road?) Frogs are sometimes captured this way as well.

From Dr. Mount's book, The Reptiles & Amphibians of Alabama:

"Salamanders of the amphibian variety are secretive in habit and are most often found in damp places under logs, rocks, or in piles of debris. On wet nights they move about in the open and may be spotted with a light."

We took "open" to mean "open road" and "light" to mean "headlight".

Some salamanders such as the spotted salamander prefer temporary woodland ponds and other flooded areas for breeding. Often these are beside the roads, so we assume the salamanders are crossing the roads in search of a love pond.

Anyone up for a hunt?

Columbine (the flower)

2009-04-10T08:07:00.000-07:00

Incubation is science. Ms. Robin seems to have stopped at three eggs, as there has been no change since Saturday. Sunday she was spending more time on the nest, so possibly incubation began then.

That would put hatching to be expected on 4-19-09.

Momma keeps the eggs warm from her own body temperature. A robins's body temperature is 104F. Feathers insulate her body and keep the heat in, so to keep the eggs warm, the feathers on her belly fall out creating a "brood patch" of bare skin.

Picture credit Bill Hinton, Jr. http://www.learner.org/jnorth/tm/BroodPatch.html

You would notice if you watched Ms. Robin return to the nest that she might turn the eggs with her beak and then when she sits she wiggles around a bit to get the brood patch exposed and making contact with the eggs in just the right way.

Receptors in the brood patch allow the bird to monitor the egg temperature and she will adjust her incubation accordingly. Pretty neat, huh?

Columbine is Science. If you have followed my other blog in the past years you know that Columbine is one of my favorite flowers. The wild variety, Aquilegia canadensis, is common in our yard, and possibly in the woods nearby, but more likely north of here and into Canada.

The European Columbine, A. vulgaris, is nice also, and is common in our yard. I suspect the former owner of the house, who was very cosmopolitan, they say, introduced these. They come in several colors and the pink ones are what we have.

They are tall and just dance in the wind. They might be doing the jitterbug this afternoon, from the looks of the weather report.

Dr. Susan Solomon

2009-04-09T08:00:00.001-07:00

Southeast cooling is science.

Dr. Susan Solomon gave a wonderful informative presentation last night at the UAB 2009 Ireland Distinguished Visiting Scholar Lecture last night. Dr. Solomon was very complimentary toward the city and the University for our supposed interest and understanding of the issue of climate change.

I really feel it is a privilege to hear such a renowned person speak on the subject.

One thing she said that surprised a lot of people is that there are areas of the world where cooling is taking place. The south east United States is one. South of Greenland is another. Look at this map, which shows trends from 1901 to 2005. This may or may not be the same map she showed, but it shows the same thing. The blue areas indicate a cooling trend. The reason, she suspects, for the cooling in the south east is due to the re-forestation of so much land. And warming in the south east will catch up over the next few decades.

Picture credit http://www.ipcc.ch/index.htm IPCC

But the little blue spots are surrounded by the big red areas. Sort of like Jefferson County. Sort of like...

But there I go, getting political.

I don't really have room or time to put forth an argument that climate change is real and is influenced by the actions of man. People who do not recognize this are just either dumb, don't care to look at facts, want the world do die or are looking to make a buck.

Like Dr. Solomon says, though, this is not a political issue, and we need to separate what we believe from what we know. That's why you just find the facts of science here. And the fact is, global temperatures are rising. Look at the last 150 years. See a trend?

As Dr. Solomon pointed out, there are many anecdotal facts about weather and temperature that are used to deny science, but while they may be true, they are not relevant. Climate change is not about weather, it's not about what happens this year and next.

It's about trends.

From the Woods

2009-04-08T05:40:00.000-07:00

These pictures were taken at Fig Leaf Farm.

The habits of mammals are science. Whatever did this to this small tree must have really enjoyed it. The tree was in the west Jefferson County of Alabama area, close to, but not adjacent to a pond.

Unfortunately this photo is a little blurry, but from it you can see that the damage goes from the ground up to eight feet or higher.

Here's a close up.

I need your help. What did this? Email me or leave a comment if you know.

Trilliums are science. Trilliums are one of my favorite wildflowers. These could be Red Trillium or Toadshade (Trillium sessile) or Sweet Betsy (Trillium cuneatum). In either case, the flower is sessile, or stalkless, as opposed to many other trilliums which have their flowers on a short stem.

Can't you just imagine a little toad sitting under one?

Robins and Recycling

2009-04-07T05:37:00.001-07:00

Egg laying physiology is science.

Ms. Robin laid another egg yesterday. She is probably laying another one this morning. Robins are said to wait until mid-morning to lay their eggs, having spent the early morning eating worms and such. Some other species of birds lay their eggs in the early morning, and eat afterward.

Female Robins have just one ovary. This helps to reduce their weight for flight. The ovary consists of multiple ova, one of which develops as a yolky egg each day, and "drops" into the funnel like opening of the oviduct. It is fertilized and moves down the oviduct where layers of albumin and finally the blue shell are laid down covering the yolk.

In this diagram, it seems that the item labelled "ovary" is actually the ovum ready for shedding, and the ovary is the whole conglomeration of ova, but finding a diagram to display was not easy. Maybe I should have drawn one myself, but...

Picture credit: http://en.wikibooks.org/wiki/Anatomy_and_Physiology_of_Animals/Reproductive_System

Recycling is Science (update).

As Jo pointed out the other day, at Publix we can recycle plastic bags, foam trays and egg cartons, and paper bags. These are the containers in front of the Publix at Tannehill.

We have really reduced the amount of garbage that the city has to pick up. Three things contributed to this. 1) My daughter moved away. Twenty something year old females produce a lot of trash. 2) Composting with the Nature Mill Indoor Composter. The Nature Mill composter accepts lots of things you don't put in the compost pile, like meat scraps, along with veggies, peanut shells, egg shells, coffee grounds and everything else but liquids and bones. Your scraps are made into compost in just a few days .

3) Increased recycling efforts.

We have gone from having two trash cans at the curb twice a week to one trash can every other or every third pick up. That's the "Reduce" part of "Reduce, Reuse, Recycle."

Climate Change

2009-04-06T06:48:00.000-07:00

Climate Change is Science.

Susan Solomon, senior scientist at NOAA (National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration) and former co-chair of the UN Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (the one that won the Nobel Peace Price along with Al Gore) will give the 2009 Ireland Distinguished Visiting Scholar Lecture at UAB. The lecture will be free to the public and is Wednesday at 5:30 pm at the Alys Stephens Center.

From the video:

“We have to think about it much more like nuclear waste than, like say, smog or acid rain. What we're doing with carbon dioxide is forever.”

She says her job is to do good science, not to convince people to adopt any particular political agenda, as reported here, in the Birmingham News.

Flowers are Science

Eleven days ago I took a picture of a flower and it was featured on this blogs initial posting.

Yesterday it was still hanging in there, and looks like this. Beauty is fleeting, I guess.

But other tulips have opened their blooms, and the focus shifts to the fresh perfection of the new.

Isn't that the way life is? For instance...oh, wait, I was about to go on a philosophical journey of sorts. That's not what I do here.

Robin Update

2009-04-05T09:07:00.001-07:00

Egg laying is science.

Ms. Robin is spending more time on her nest, but she is not there full time. That led me to suspect egg laying had begun.

Two eggs. I would expect one or two more. Then she will get down to the business of setting for sure. After that 14 days until hatching.

Reduce

2009-04-03T06:29:00.001-07:00

Recycling and Reducing Waste is Science. And those plastic bags just pile up. Sure they can be used as trash can liners or dog poop bags, but I bet you throw away more of them than you use.

But did you know they are in the High Density Polyethylene category of plastics and can be recycled? A lot of the plastic bottles we use are in that category also. (You can find these symbols on the bottoms of plastic bottles and learn what they mean here).

So there, problem solved, right? No more plastic bags hanging in the trees, or blowing along the roadway (looking like a cat out of the corner of your eye) or ending up in the bellies of sea turtles.

Actually, no. First of all, most of the bags are not recycled. Second of all, many of the bags that are recycled end up in China or India where a lot of our recyclables are dumped. Third of all, the cost to recycle the bags far outweighs what the return is in dollars, so who's going to do it?

Some are proposing a tax on up to 20 cents per bag to cut down on their use. In County Cork in Ireland such a tax reduced the usage of plastic bags by 95%. (National Geographic). But that would never happen here, and analysts say the loss of jobs and such would have to be considered, and that the return to paper bags would actually use more energy and create more waste.

The best idea is to just quit using them.

Almost every store now sells (and some give away) these reusable bags. For me, the hardest thing to remember is to put the bags back in my car so I will have them next time I go to the store. But it's just a matter of changing behavior, never an easy thing to do, behaviorists will assure you.

Notice too that the cokes are not even in bags. The bag-girl asked me if I wanted them bagged, and I said no. But the buyer can take the initiative and request "no bag" for large items like drinks and laundry detergent and bathroom paper.

And using these bags makes it much easier to carry the groceries into the house. I estimate that what used to take 6-10 plastic bags now ends up in just 2 reusable bags.

Even using those bags I still end up with plastic bags from some stores or if I forget the reusables. So, for the past two weeks I have saved my recyclable plastics (Number 1 and 2 are accepted here in Bessemer). This would occupy a good bit of landfill space, don't you think?

Bessemer Recycling is located on First Avenue North across from Bessemer Utilities and is open Monday - Saturday from 7:00 to 3:30. They take Plastics 1 and 2, Newspaper, Cardboard (both the cereal box kind and the big corrugated kind) and used motor oil (no cooking oil). I wonder what happens to Bessemer Recyclables from there? I aim to find out.

I will be looking into other aspects of recycling in Bessemer over the next few weeks as we approach Earth Day.

We're Moving

2009-04-02T06:52:00.000-07:00

Plate Tectonics is Science.

Slowly but surely, the earth below us is moving. Of course, this movement takes place over millions of years, and is undetectable (most of the time).

This bridge in Iceland joins the Eurasian and the North American tectonic plates.

Photo credit wiki commons

The Leif the Lucky Bridge spans between continents in Reykjanes peninsula in southwest Iceland across the Alfagja rift valley. "Rift" means the valley is being created by the land being pulled apart, in this case by the movement of the plates.

Gives a whole new meaning to the term "expansion bridge," doesn't it?

In addition to answering questions, good science often asks questions. Mine is, how fast are the plates moving apart, and how long will the bridge last? I just want to be sure I get there before the thing falls into the valley below. Walking from North America to Europe would be pretty neat.

Evolution

2009-04-01T06:08:00.000-07:00

Evolution is Science.
Some of you have already seen this when I posted it elsewhere, but it is worth posting here on Bessemer Science and Nature. This sixty second video shows the timescale for the formation of the earth to the present. I especially like the sound of the big bang.

You may have seen this on one of my other posts also. The National Academy of Sciences published a book in 2008 titled Science, Evolution and Creationism that you can buy, or read online for free here. The book is written in easy to understand language.

How did life evolve on Earth? The answer to this question can help us understand our past and prepare for our future. Although evolution provides credible and reliable answers, polls show that many people turn away from science, seeking other explanations with which they are more comfortable.

In the book Science, Evolution, and Creationism, a group of experts assembled by the National Academy of Sciences and the Institute of Medicine explain the fundamental methods of science, document the overwhelming evidence in support of biological evolution, and evaluate the alternative perspectives offered by advocates of various kinds of creationism, including "intelligent design." The book explores the many fascinating inquiries being pursued that put the science of evolution to work in preventing and treating human disease, developing new agricultural products, and fostering industrial innovations. The book also presents the scientific and legal reasons for not teaching creationist ideas in public school science classes.

Mindful of school board battles and recent court decisions, Science, Evolution, and Creationism shows that science and religion should be viewed as different ways of understanding the world rather than as frameworks that are in conflict with each other and that the evidence for evolution can be fully compatible with religious faith. For educators, students, teachers, community leaders, legislators, policy makers, and parents who seek to understand the basis of evolutionary science, this publication will be an essential resource.

Picture credit http://books.nap.edu/openbook.php?record_id=11876&page=R2

Birds and Bees

2009-03-31T05:38:00.000-07:00

The birds and the bees are science. This is the part of the birds and the bees that your mother never told you.

First, an update on the robins. They were scarce yesterday. I saw robins in the yard, but they were not on the nest. However, she was at the nest this morning. I will have to see what they do today.

Yesterday I was just in the right place at the right time for these shots. I was about to leave to go on an errand, and walked around the garage to close a gate, and a black blurry glob fell from the sky right beside me. It was a trio of carpenter bees.

Remember I said that the male carpenter bees have a white cuticle on their face. Here, a male is hovering in flight, intent on the male and female on the ground below him.

The male bee that is mounted on the female bee stayed put for about two minutes, making thrusting motions that one would associate with such an act.

The male who was hovering decides to make a move. Never mind that another male is already in position.

They stayed this way for about a minute, with both males thrusting somewhat. Then the second male, probably frustrated, flew off a few feet and returned to hovering.

Here is the female afterwards. She acted exhausted, and spent a couple minutes cleaning herself, it appeared.

Here the persistent number 2 male is about to make his move again.

When he did, the female would make a fast and furious escape, or, if he mounted her, she would try to shake him loose. This went on for several minutes and then they flew off, the male in hot pursuit.

I don't know if they ever hooked up or if she lost him. But I do know that if things proceed as expected, there will be more carpenter bees soon.

Google Mars

2009-03-30T05:38:00.000-07:00

Google Earth (Mars) is science. Now you can roam around Mars just like you can Earth. Go to earth.google.com for the free program or to upgrade your current Google Earth. click on the planet icon in the toolbar at the top and choose Mars. The tools to zoom and move around are the same as for Earth.

You can zoom in and see many named features and other areas of interest. For instance, here is the site of the Viking 1 Lander from the U.S. You can zoom in closer.

From there you can click on the yellow featured site icon and see a high resolution image. This is the first image sent by Viking 1, taken July 21, 1976. Read about the mission and find links to other images here. 1976, can you believe it? Over 30 years ago we were viewing these images from Mars!

Source: http://photojournal.jpl.nasa.gov/catalog/PIA00563

Images of nature are science. Submit your images.

This Slimy Salamander (Plethodon glutinosus)photo was sent in by Ted. These guys are fairly common and their range extends from New York to Florida and west to the Mississippi River and beyond.

This one looks like it lost its tail. Oh well, just grow another.

Nancy sent this picture of a bee (appears to be a carpenter) flying among the wisteria.

Fact for the day: Japanese Wisteria (Wisteria floribunda) vines twine clockwise around the host plant and Chinese wisteria (Wisteria sinensis) twines counter-clockwise.

Other ways to distinguish the varieties: Chinese Wisteria has leaves divided into 7-13 leaflets, Japanese into 15-19. Chinese bloom before the leaves expand, Japanese during leaf-out. Chinese flowers open mostly at once, Japanese flower clusters open gradually.

The wisteria in my yard appears to be Chinese Wisteria. The vines twine counter clockwise, the plants are blooming before the leaves appear (for the most part). There are less than 13 leaflets on the leaves that have appeared and the flowers have all opened pretty much at once along each cluster.

This photo from the back yard shows wisteria tangling with a Yellow Lady Banks Rose, which is just beginning to bloom.

In this photo see notice white wisteria blooms along with lavender ones way up in the trees. White wisteria is more likely to be Japanese. Is this confusing enough?

Robins - The Beginning

2009-03-29T11:16:00.000-07:00

Robins are Science. And very common in Bessemer.

Outside the porch window is a Camellia bush in which a Robin is intent on raising a family. From inside the house, I can photograph. I hope to improve my technique over the next few weeks. I have a difficult time focusing on the dark subject in the shadows. but I have an idea. Until then, these less than excellent pictures will have to do.

Right now the mom is working on the nest. She's in the center of this photo, with a beak full of grass.

The next three shots are just of the bird sitting on the nest, sort of trying it out for size. As I've watched, she brings straw or grass and places it in the nest, then hops in and sort of packs it down. she will shift a little, then content, it seems, head out gather more supplies just below the nest. These pictures were taken Saturday, and today she is continuing in the same manner.

Robins are often called the first sign of Spring, but they were here during the depth of winter, being recorded here in Bessemer during the Great Backyard Bird Count.

Robins are not innocent backyard birds, however. Over the next few weeks I will share what one source calls "the dark side of Robins." In this picture she is sort of flapping it seems to press the grass down into the nest.

Check back often to follow the Robins, and to learn more about their natural history. Fact for today: Robins, like many common birds, suffer a mortality rate of about 80% per year. Source: The Audubon Society Field Guide to North American Birds. 1977 Edition.

Pollinators

2009-03-27T11:16:00.000-07:00

Pollination is Science. Yesterday I mentioned that carpenter bees are pollinators. They generally don't have as much hair on their abdomens as bumblebees, and don't carry as much pollen from flower to flower. As bumblebees fly, their wing flapping creates an electrical charge and when they land on a flower, pollen is attracted and caught on the hairs. When they land on the next flower, the charged pollen is attracted to the stigma (female part of the flower)because it is better grounded than the rest of the flower.

This carpenter bee is enjoying wisteria. I will try to get some bumblebee pictures later in the season.

We are all familiar with the honeybee (Apis sp), and this was the only one I saw on this day.

Honeybees are the most important commercial pollinator and are undergoing a decline for which the cause is not known. Colony collapse disorder may be caused by natural causes like mites or parasites, environmental factors such as climate change, or agricultural practices like pesticide use. It could be a combination of factors. Whatever it is, know that the concern is great and the research is furious to determine a cause. The symptoms include lack of adults in the hive with few or no dead adults present, capped brood present in the hive (bees usually won't leave until all adults have emerged) and food stores in the hive.

I can't tell you what kind of bee this is, but she is smaller than a honeybee. There are many species of bees. Some are tiny.

Wasps are important pollinators of some plants. Wasps are also plentiful and vary by species, and I have not identified this one. Adult wasps feed on nectar, and, oddly enough, many agricultural insect pests have a wasp species as an enemy. The female wasp lays eggs in the immature insect (caterpillar, for instance) and the wasp larva matures feeding on the host. Some wasps also feed on fruit or carrion.

The wind is a pollinator. We have been fortunate over the last few days to have rain which washed a lot of the pollen from the air and off of our cars and decks. Many of us have seen pine pollen being blown from pine trees in clouds of yellow. Anemophily is the term for wind pollination. Some crops, such as corn, and grasses are anemophilous. With corn, bees may still visit and get what they can, but wind is the primary method of pollination.

I will write more about honeybees and Colony Collapse Disorder in the future.

What this blog is about...Science!

2009-03-26T13:26:00.000-07:00

I also post at Bessemer Opinions and there you might find a crazy mix up of politics, science, flowers, religion, human rights, art and music. You still will, but I take a lot more pictures and research a lot more science than you will ever see there. So a lot of the pics and science stuff will go here.

All the science won't come from Bessemer, but some will. But I might write about embryonic stem cells or planets in our solar system. This blog will be tweaked over the next few weeks with some neat apps.

Here's a start. I took these pictures in the backyard on Thursday, March 26, 2009.

Lizards are science. This is a Green Anole (Anolis carolinenses), commonly and mistakenly called a chameleon. They are in the Iguanid family. They lay single eggs about every fourteen days from April to September in leaf litter, trash or debris. Incubation takes 5-7 weeks. The babies are on their own. And cute, too.

They change color depending on mood and temperature and stress. When I moved from Bluff Park I caught several of these and released them in the yard here in Bessemer. I don't know if these are descendants or if there was already a population here (most likely) but I like to think the ancestors of these came with me.

How do they change color? A Cornell scientist explains:

Green anoles aren't able to control their color changes to the same extent that chameleons are. They change in between various shades of brown and green depending upon stress levels, colors in their surrounding environment, and temperature. A light green anole is generally active, happy, and stress free. When they are mildly stressed, or when they become sleepy and tranquil, they may become light brown. This change in shade from brown to green is caused by cells that contain melanin, the same pigment that is responsible for different human skin colors. These melanin-containing cells are highly branched and spread throughout the skin. When the anole is brown, the melanin in the cell is allowed to fill all the branches, masking the greenish cells beneath. When the anole is green, the melanin is concentrated at the bottom of the cells, so the green colors show through the transparent branches.

Bees are science. This is a Carpenter Bee (Xylocopa virginica, most likely). They hang around our back deck because they enjoy boring into a wooden bench to make their hibernaculum, or nest. They also like the garden shed. Males often hover in anticipation of mating or warding off other males. I don't know what this one had in mind. Males have the white cuticle on their face, you can see it in this photo. Males don't sting.

They can be important early spring pollinators, especially with other pollinators in decline.

I hope they don't bore into the giant rocker. I think the deck and railings are safe. They are not wood.

Females do the boring and build the nests. Males just hang around flowers (thinking they might happen upon a female that needs a mate) or guarding their territory. Food and sex, sound familiar?

Flowers are science. Here are two Tulips that are blooming. Tulips don't do particularly well here, but these were here in 2000 when I bought the house, and bloom every year.