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Flickr Photo of the Month: “Leaf’s Eye View”

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on July 8, 2008 5:05 pm

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Around here, we like the internet. Particularly, the ease with which thoughts are shared and connections are made. Who would’ve guessed, even 7 or 8 years ago, the blogger revolution that’s not only revolutionized journalism, but also made it so much easier to share the little one’s field trip with grandma?

Blogging and social sites like Facebook, Twitter, and Plurk - and the dozens of other popping up, it seems, every day - have created exactly the kind of back-and-forth dialog that science thrives on. Even in the few short months we’ve been blogging, we’ve had some amazing feedback, intriguing questions and fabulous ideas from you.

More to the point of this post, however, we’ve discovered that the internet gives us a fascinating window into the experiences of our visitors - and there are some amazing photographers wandering our halls, capturing images of the wonders on display here that rival the subjects themselves.

So, we’ve created a Flickr group where people can share the photos they’ve taken here - and we’ve been lucky enough to be joined by some truly talented individuals. We want to share those photos here, in a monthly feature. We hope they’ll inspire you to bring a camera along next time you’re here - and show us what you see.

Our first pick, “Leaf’s Eye View,” was taken by AlphaTangoBravo. Here’s what he had to say abut it:

“When I read about the ‘Frogs!’ exhibit at HMNS, I immediately thought of a vacation to Costa Rica in 2006. I had the good fortune to photograph tree frogs in both a ranarium and the wild. I couldn’t wait to get another peek in person! I grabbed my camera and favorite lens and raced off to the exhibit. As soon as I saw the Red Eyed Tree Frog (Agalychnis callidryas) clinging to the glass, I knew I had a chance for a good photo. The frog looked like it was floating in mid-air. It was just plain ‘cool’ to see it’s feet sticking to the glass. But, I ultimately decided to focus on its brilliant red eyes. They’re not called ‘Red Eyed Tree Frogs’ for nothin’!”

This amazing shot of a Red-Eyed Tree Frog was captured by AlphaTangoBravo
in the recent Frogs! A Chorus of Colors exhibit and shared in
the HMNS Flickr photo pool. Join us, won’t you?

Some of the shared photos are technically brilliant, some of them are simple snapshots, but the one feature they share is the ability to compel us to see - and think about - things in a new way. And isn’t that what science is all about?

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Water blogged - the worst museum spills and thrills

Published

Christine

on July 8, 2008 12:40 pm

in Zoology

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photo credit: _sarchi

As it happens I work with a lot of water. Salt water, reverse osmosis water, dechlorinated water, and my least favorite category: dirty water.

Shed skin from frogs, lizards, snakes; the weird film that exists inside every water bottle; fish water (salt or fresh - both pungent); and maybe the most heinous ever - dirty aquatic turtle water. Not to mention all of the various types of waste that routinely finds it way in there.

The purpose here is not to gross you out, but to actually talk about some of the more interesting spills that have occurred here at the Museum, either by yours truly or by fellow workers who wish to remain anonymous. Let me just say that I am very fortunate to work here, with all of the wonderful animals and staff. I must also acknowledge the hard-working Housekeeping staff who spend a bit more time than I am sure they would like, cleaning up various spills. So here goes…

Run Away! Run Away!

How about trying to catch a tipping full 55 gallon wheeled trash can containing dirty piranha water? Wait, there’s more! Spilled on opening night of the Frogs exhibit, in the Paleo Hall, minutes before guests would arrive, and seconds before the President of the Museum walked through the hall. That was me.

One bad wheel on a 55 gallon trash can = approximately 200 gallons of water spilled throughout construction in the Frogs exhibit, in the hallway, and over the shoes of at least 4 people. It begs the question how did it keep getting back into rotation?!

More wheeled trash can fun: how about having the wheel catch on the oh-so-slight gap between the elevator and the floor? Thankfully the un-named wore most of the water from the waist down instead of it pouring down to the level below.

How about a 16 cubic foot salt water touch tank splitting a side seam, in a classroom, during Camp. I recall a towel dam trying to contain the rather large puddle. Housekeeping everywhere, buckets and mops at the ready - true unsung heroes.

How about filter malfunctions? Installing a filter under the existing piranha tank (requires a tiny person or gymnast) only to have the valve slip and spray water directly in my face - mmm, piranha poo. A canister filter hose slipping off and spraying water along the wall in a classroom during After Camp. Not once, but twice.

Overpumping and overflowing. Now here is a broad category. This can include clogged overflow boxes and clogged intake tubes. You probably do not want to know with what they might be clogged. It can also include pumping water from one location to another - underestimate the pump speed and voila, cascades. My favorite overflow has happened to me twice - yes, you’d think I would have learned the first time.

Peewee, our alligator, resides in a large metal trough. Imagine putting the hose into the tank, starting the water (just to top it off you understand), and getting distracted. Distracted enough to come in the next day and discover 2 inches of water flooding the Animal Room and a very angry 2 foot long alligator hiding somewhere under a shelving unit. We have floor drains but even they have their limits.

Peewee’s Pen (6ft diameter x 2.5ft tall)

Peewee’s Pen: 6ft circle x 2ft tall

One of my favorite Animal Room questions: Why is there a puddle? There are, of course, a multitude of answers some of which I have already listed. The least troublesome but most prevalent answer is the reverse osmosis (RO) sensor slipped. This usually leads to the RO system running all night long thinking the collection barrel is empty, when in truth it is not. I am thankful that the system is not too fast in producing the vital RO water we need daily.

RO Water Barrels

Slow leaks: moving aquariums and having 3 develop small leaks once they were set up (and running of course). Leaky bulkheads in the bottom of tanks (that’s a current trouble even) that drip just enough water to make Housekeeping crazy with constant puddles. Forgetting the plumber’s tape around a bulkhead and trying to fast fix with caulk in a very small, non-ventilated space - ah the colors.

Power outages, don’t get me started! Or staff nearly electrocuting themselves and the fish when the RO water sprayed onto power strips hung under the tank.

Siphoning by mouth - need I really say more? Except for my favorite quote: “Anybody got any listerine, cause I might die.”

Many people have played with a garden hose as a kid. I loved the spray nozzle. However, in my many years experience, I have come to regard the nozzle warily. It is a common occurrence to shut the water pressure off and set the hose down. It almost inevitably lands handle down, thus expelling the last bit of water spraying straight up…into the unsuspecting face. Wary indeed.

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Science Doesn’t Sleep (7.8.08)

Published

Erin

on July 8, 2008 8:56 am

in Science

. 0 Comments

photo credit: william.ward

So here’s what went down after you logged off.

Are melting glaciers causing sea levels to rise? A team from Utrecht University says no. A team from Woods Hole Oceanographic Institute is exploring that issue this month - check back here for updates from Chris Linder.

And you thought the Sun was harsh - “O” stars in the Rosetta Nebula “can be a hundred times the size and over a thousand times brighter” - and they destroy planets.

Despite the fact that scientists have traditionally been wary of Wikipedia - which relies on the “wisdom of crowds” - a new Gene Wiki is being developed to “describe the relationship and functions of all human genes.”

Ancient river camps show humans in Paris almost 10,000 years ago.

Researchers have developed a way to trick kidney cancer cells into killing themselves.

The Chronicle has a new space blog - Cosmo.Sphere - written by a UT astronomer, a NASA vehicle systems engineer and a long-time amateur astronomer.

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Blowing away the alternative: a case for wind power

Published

Claire

on July 7, 2008 4:18 pm

in Energy

. 2 Comments

Following up on his previous post, Wiess Energy Hall Master Docent Julian Lamborn shares his case for the further development of wind power in the US:

photo credit: s2art

If coal-fired power stations were to be forced to sequester their greenhouse gases then production of electricity from wind generators would be cheaper than from coal. There are optimists who believe that the present USA wind generating capacity could be raised from 1% of the country’s electricity needs to 20% (although 5% to 7% by 2020 is believed by most to be a more realistic number, particularly since some of the Federal subsidy programs for wind generators are scheduled to run out at the end of 2008!)
If you are considering putting a 2 MW wind/power generating machine in your backyard (remember that it would be some 360 ft. tall!) it would set you back around $2 million but, remember, the wind resources in the United States are vast. Using today’s technology, there is theoretically enough wind power flowing across our country to supply all of our electricity needs. North Dakota alone could supply about one third of the nation’s electricity!

Adequate winds for commercial power production are found at sites in 46 states but only a small portion of our country’s vast wind potential will likely be tapped in the near future since there has to be an integrated approach to energy management with both political and industrial participation.

Here in the USA, in Iowa, at the Iowa Stored Energy Park, a $200 million system that will take surplus electrical energy from nearby wind farms and use it to compress and store high pressure air underground will go online in 2011. When needed, this compressed air can be released into a natural gas fired electricity generating turbine to produce some 268 MW of supplemental power.

The World Wind Energy Association anticipates that the installed capacity of wind powered generators will be around 170,000 MW by the end of 2010… this represents an 81% increase in world wind generating capacity from the end of 2007. This is the fastest growing source of alternate energy the world has at present.

photo credit: s2art

Although there are many NIMBY (”not in my back-yard”) activists interested in where to site wind-farms, many ornithologists interested in avian problems created by the rotor blades and many people that just don’t like change, the alternate of burning more and more coal and producing potentially more and more greenhouse gases has also to be put into the equation. In the long term (as there always is) there will be an acceptable balance wherein, at least in the US, there will probably be wind generation producing between 5% and 10% of our daily electricity needs as part of our daily power grid input. But I’ll also bet with you, though, that none of these wind generators will be in or very close to a National Park!

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