Giant Creatures

Full story here. And here’s our rhyming round-up of other ancient, giant versions of modern mammals:

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Glow Worms

Image Credit: Janek von Byern, GIF’d by Maddie Sofia

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Where in the World Have New Diseases Emerged?

"What new viruses are emerging in your backyard? 

If you’re a germaphobe, make sure you’re sitting down.

Back in 1999, a woman in California cleaned up rodent droppings in her home. Two weeks later, her liver started failing. Then she started to bleed internally — a hemorrhagic fever that would kill her. Eventually doctors found a new virus in her body, which very likely came from a rat.

A few years later, a man in Arizona went to the hospital. The skin on his legs was infected and dying. Doctors had to amputate. His diagnosis? A new kind of leprosy.

Over in the Midwest, the problem has been new tick-borne diseases, some deadly. And in New England, doctors are dealing with a disease that causes Lyme-like symptoms but is caused by a different bacteria.

The pattern continues across the country and across the world. A spike in new infectious diseases is the new normal.

      Another side effect of humanity’s conquest of the natural world."

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Frog Spit is a Non-Newtonian Fluid

"The researchers used high-speed photography and an instrument called a Rheometer to analyze frog saliva under prey-capturing conditions.­­­­­­­ The scientists think frog tongues could one day help engineers design reversible soft adhesives that could work at high speeds.

Read more about it here."

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The bold and unusual Sweet Petite Acanthanura

"Sweet Petite Acanthanura

Almost every time I head out into the Dandenong Ranges (Melbourne, Australia) - at this time of year (autumn) - I find an Acanthanuraspringtail. They are usually active on the surface on the surface on wet, mossy, logs: diurnally. Perhaps they are out at night too but it’s more difficult taking pictures at in the dark especially at high magnifications. Mostly I find fully grown adults, stunning animals that they are.

This week I found a baby. At least I’m guessing it is likely the baby of the species I commonly see as a grown up in the area. It was about 2.5 mm long (1/10 inch) and very quick, foraging on the surface of the log, not cryptically like most collembola, but openly. Do the spines and colours scream ‘don’t eat me’ even for something this small?"

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Changes

 

Though very simple, this image can be a great strating off point for discussion of changes.

In Anxious Anticipation

Aaron Tilley (in collaboration with director Kyle Bean) has created the art series 'In Anxious Anticipation'.

His piece  "explore[s] the curious connection between how the mind perceives the world and conveys these reactions in their physical body." (source)

There is also an essay written by Jordan Kushins to go with the series. 

"The story (“In Anxious Anticipation”) revolves around this idea that visuals can invoke feelings of expectation and dread; from the ink droplet dangling precariously over a pressed white shirt, to a row of bricks about to collapse onto a dainty champagne goblet, the images aim to induce an empathetic rush of anticipation. Adrenaline flows from the adrenal glands, a result of stimulation of the autonomic nervous system. Through this magazine issue, the artistic designers wish to titillate the thrill-seekers amongst us and discover the ability of the artificial to induce this dreadful joy within our bodies."  (source)

The Glasswinged Butterfly

"The Glasswinged Butterfly. 

The pretty creature, who is a native of Mexico and South America, does not lack the tissues that make up a full wing, but rather the coloured scales that other butterflies have."

http://asapscience.tumblr.com/post/68294856978/the-glasswinged-butterfly-the-pretty-creature

Transparent Animals

"There are ghosts currently wandering the planet, but they aren't the undead apparitions of your imagination.

Transparent animals — creatures with transparent, glass-like skin — can be found lurking in abundance in ecosystems around the globe. These fascinating, verging-on-invisible organisms are the tangible ghosts of the real world.

Here's our list of 11 of the world's most intriguing transparent animals. (Text: Bryan Nelson)"

Read more: http://www.mnn.com/earth-matters/animals/photos/11-intriguing-transparent-animals/glass-like-creatures#ixzz3ezK3Us2h

Barreleye: This unusual fish might be the most bizarre creature ever found lurking in the deep ocean. Sometimes called a "spook fish," no doubt because of its strange appearance, the barreleye has a completely transparent head.

The purpose of the clear head is that its eyes, which are located inside the head, can look straight up as it swims, presumably so that it can detect the silhouettes of available prey. Its eyes can rotate within the socket so that the fish can look in multiple directions, which would be impossible if not for the transparent cranium.

Check out this incredible video of a live barreleye as it swims.

Tortoise Shell Beetle: This remarkable beetle is not completely transparent, but it does have a carapace that is nearly invisible. The purpose of the transparent outer shell is to fool potential predators, as it reveals markings on its back that act as a warning.

Tortoise beetles come in many different varieties, and the design under their clear shells can be distinct and beautiful.

Glass Octopus: This unbelievable octopus is so ghostly and unusual that it occupies its own family, Vitreledonellidae. Little is known about this marine animal, but it can be found in tropical and subtropical waters around the world.

Thanks to its transparent skin, scientists know that its optic lobes have unusually long optic nerve stalks, meaning its sense of sight is acute. Your eyesight would have to be pretty good, too, to spot one of these ghosts.

Crocodile Icefish: These ghostly Antarctic predators are unusual because their transparent appearance is due in large part to nearly invisible blood. They are the only known vertebrates in the world without hemoglobin, the protein in blood that transports oxygen.

They survive without hemoglobin thanks to the subzero temperatures of the ocean where they live, since cold water has a much higher dissolved oxygen content than warmer water.

Jellyfish: Perhaps the most well-known types of transparent creatures are jellyfish.

Many of the free-swimming members of the phylum Cnidaria are transparent, a trait that makes them occasionally hazardous because of their sometimes deadly stings, which can surprise swimmers. Their translucent bodies also make them among the most elegant and beautiful of the ocean's creatures.

Salpas: Not to be confused with jellyfish, salpas are transparent, free-floating tunicates. Their gelatinous bodies swim by contracting and pumping water through internal feeding filters, feasting while they move.

They can be found anywhere, but they are probably most common in the Southern Ocean, where they sometimes form enormous transparent swarms.

Transparent Sea Cucumber: Recently discovered by researchers with the Census of Marine Life, this sea cucumber is so transparent that its digestive tract is on spectacular display.

Found at a depth of 2,750 meters, it is one of many unusual finds discovered by the marine census. When encountered, this cucumber was creeping forward on its many tentacles at about 2 centimeters per minute while sweeping detritus-rich sediment into its mouth.

Ghost Shrimp: The semi-translucent shells of these minuscule crustaceans make them nearly as transparent as the glass aquariums in which they are sometimes kept. In the wild, different species can be found in rivers and lakes throughout the world, including the central United States.

The animal is so clear in appearance that it only has color after it has eaten a colorful meal, which is typically plant-based and, therefore, usually green.

Glass Squid: There are about 60 different species of glass squid, so-called because many of them appear completely transparent. This transparency keeps them hidden from predators, since they spend much of their lives in partially sunlit shallow waters.

Many species are bioluminescent and possess light organs on the undersides of their eyes. Since the digestive gland can still be seen through the transparent skin, it is typically held in a vertical position to reduce its visibility.

Glasswing Butterfly: This butterfly with transparent wings has a Spanish name, "espejitos," which means "little mirrors." If it wasn't for the opaque outline around the wings, the average observer might not see one perched on a leaf or flower.

Adult glasswing butterflies will often migrate great distances, and males of the species are known to lek, or gather in large groups for the purpose of competitive mating displays.

Glass Frogs: Don’t worry … you aren't having a flashback to high school biology class. These amphibians of the family Centrolenidae are called glass frogs because the abdominal skin of many species is highly transparent, and viewing them from underneath is like looking at an MRI.

Many of the frogs’ internal organs, such as the heart, liver and gastrointestinal tract, are on display. Found in the jungles of Central and South America, these animals are mostly arboreal, meaning they live primarily in trees. 

Solar Panels in NYC Schools

From boredpanda.com:

Solar-panels on NYC public school roofs are giving students the opportunity to get hands on with science.

 Teacher Vicki Sando founded PS 41’s roof garden in 2003; 2 million dollars and 10 years later, they had a solar array installed.

“We made connections between plant study,” Sando told Capital New York. “Plants are little solar cells. I had my fifth graders take apart a solar calculator and show them how it worked. We don’t have a stand-alone curriculum on solar, but we’ll do projects where we’ll fold it into it.”

According to New York City Mayor Bill de Blasio, 23 million dollars will bring solar panels to 24 public schools by the summer of 2016. In the meantime, Sando’s students will continue gardening and learning about the world through their roof-top green-space.

This “allows students to see first hand what cleaner energy looks and feels like, which will be increasingly important as these grade schoolers grow up”.