You MUST Watch this Video

Earth's history is laid out to scale on a football field. A VERY cool timeline.

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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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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See Before-and-After Photos of the Changing Environment

"Side-by-side comparisons reveal just how much glaciers, lakes, and snowpacks have been altered by nature and humans.

From the ice sheets of Greenland to the deserts of Arizona, many of the world’s landscapes
have been dramatically transformed as their climate grows warmer and drier. At the same 
time, water use and other human activities have altered many landscapes. NASA has 
accumulated striking photos that show just how much our surroundings have changed. 
Slide across each image to see before and after pictures."

http://news.nationalgeographic.com/2015/12/151229-before-after-earth-features/

This is a great site to show relating to Change - you are able to slide across the images to show the contrast between the before and after images.

Farming Preschool Teaches Kids How to Grow Their Own Food

From Sara Barnes at My Modern Met

"In the age of convenience—instant digital technology and fast food—it can be hard for kids to feel connected to nature and to what they eat. With this in mind, Rome-based designers Edoardo Capuzzo Dolcetta, Gabriele Capobianco, Davide Troiana, and Jonathan Lazar have created an innovative way to introduce children to the outdoor environment. Their proposal—which recently won the AWR International Ideas Competition—is called Nursery Fields Forever, and it combines urban farming with a preschool education.

Nursery Fields Forever offers three approaches to learning: from nature; from technique; and from practice. Children will be taught to grow and harvest their own food, as well as interact with animals. These tasks, though small ones, can have a positive effect on kids' everyday lives. The hands-on method instills valuable social skills, teamwork, and promotes a healthy lifestyle from a young age. At the same time, students will also learn about the benefits of renewable energy—including wind turbines and solar arrays—that keep the school running.

“We think that kids should enjoy nature,” Dolcetta told Fast Company. “So we designed this strange school: No classrooms, but open spaces where vegetables grow inside and animals can come in too. It’s a mixing of the two things, school and nature.” With this model, children are engaged in learning that will inspire them to think differently. "A typical school has desks and chairs—in our school, there are not these things. And there's the freedom to stay inside or go outside."

Living Bridges and Systems for the Wettest Place on Earth

"Meghalaya, India, is reportedly the rainiest spot on Earth. The village of Mawsynram in Meghalaya receives 467 inches of rain per year. Laborers who work outdoors often wear full-body umbrellas made from bamboo and banana leaf. 

One of the most fascinating and beautiful features in the region are the "living bridges" spanning rain-soaked valleys. For centuries, locals have been training the roots of rubber trees to grow into natural bridges, far outlasting man-made wooden structures that rot in just a few years. The bridges are self-strengthening, becoming more substantial over time, as the root systems grow." Imgaes by Amos Chapple

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The article also shows the different systems the citizens have in place to deal with the rainfall and the effects it has.

Kawah Ijen Volcano's Molten Sulphur

The Kawah Ijen volcano in East Indonesia produces molten sulphur from vents in its sides, which appear bright red during the day but glow blue by night.

Photograph by Oliver Grunewald.

See more about this incredible phenomenon here: http://news.nationalgeographic.com/news/2014/01/140130-kawah-ijen-blue-flame-volcanoes-sulfur-indonesia-pictures/

Slime Mold

Stemonitis fusca is a rather marvellous species of slime mold that carries its jelly-like spore-forming fruiting bodies on curious stilts. Photo by Nick Cantle.

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