Photography

More of my own photographs. How you enjoy, comment if you like them.

Paintings in the Sky

Lightning: Lightning is caused by unbalanced electric charges in the atmosphere which cause a large electrostatic discharge. These discharges can either be from cloud to cloud or cloud to ground.

 

 

Aurora: Aurora is when high-energy particles hit the earth’s magnetic field at the poles creating a natural light display. The particles come from the sun and travel to earth as solar wind.

 

 

 

Sea Scorpions

Eurypterus remipes

Eurypterids were the largest arthropods to ever swim the oceans. Their closest living relatives are the arachnids (spiders, scorpions, horseshoe crabs). They lived from the Ordovician to the Permian, where they became extinct during the Permian extinction. These large swimming arthropods were composed of a segmented body that connects to their head. Their body was typically rounded and flat. They had several legs, and two of them, called paddles, were used for swimming and navigation. Also, they had a sectioned, tapering tail. Their lengths ranged from one to eight feet in length, depending on species.

NEWS

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Medusiod

It's alive! It's alive! It's...a jellyfish. A jellyfish is not as interesting as doctor Frankenstein's works but FrankenJelly is still a fascinating experiment that promises advancement in the bio tech field. The fake jelly, called Medusoid by its creators, was designed to mimic the propulsion methods of jellyfish. It was created from an umbrella shaped frame with eight legs made from a special silicone polymer. After, the scientists attached rat heart muscle to the frame which grew along special patterns in the frame. Once the muscles were developed enough they tested it in a tank with an electronic field. This caused the muscles to contract and Medusoid to swim like a jellyfish. The technology developed from Medusoid will one day help to develop better muscle pumps such as for hearts.

Video uploaded by caltech

http://www.sciencenews.org/view/generic/id/342440/title/Fake_jellyfish_so_real_it_even_swims

Whats Your Favorite Organism from Natural History?

Natural history encompasses all living things that have ever existed. This can range from the dinosaurs to trees, from monkeys to lizards. Thats why I thought it would be interesting to see what are your favorite organism! Down below leave a comment to tell me what your favorite organism of all time is, it can be anything as long as its a real animal and not human. If you can maybe include a picture. So please leave a comment saying your favorite organism of all time!



Woody Biomass

Bio fuels are a popular topic these days and there is always new ones being developed. There is sugar-beets, corn, switch grass, algae, and one of newest is "woody biomass". Woody biomass is bio fuel derived from softwood and hardwood trees. One of the most promising for woody biomass is the Loblolly Pine, a softwood. Loblolly Pines is a type of pine in the south-east US, also grown in North Carolina. North Carolina generates around 3.3 million acres of Loblolly Pine each year in addition to naturally grown trees. Most of these trees go to be used for paper or construction but North Carolina still produces more timber then it needs. There are also other trees such as hardwoods that are good for bio fuels but because the Loblolly is a softwood it grows much faster which makes it better to harvest. Woody biomass is currently being researched by Oxford and NC State. In addition to other bio fuels, "woody biomass" could help the US lessen its dependence on fossil fuels while becoming more environmentally friendly.

 Video from Canada on Biomass

uploaded by AgriComm

http://www.biofuelscenter.org/index.php/feedstocks/woody-biomass?start=3

Mammal Dinosaur

On first instinct you might think that this is another type of dinosaur, but actually it is more closely related to mammals then dinosaurs or lizards. Dimetrodon is really a non-mammal synapsid that went extinct during the Permian extinction. Its "sail" is elongated vertebra that was filled with blood vessels. Dimetrodon could use the sail to change is body temperature by either facing into the sun to heat up or face away from the sun to cool down. Dimetrodon was not the only non-mammal synapsid; there were multiple different branches of non-mammal synapsids which are now extinct. Non-mammal synapsids were a dominating group before the Permian extinction.

Dimetrodon

Living Fossils

Living Fossils are organisms that are alive today that resemble organisms from the fossil record. There is a wide variety of living fossils still around these days, but these species have survived for millions of years before humans. They serve as reminders that we must protect our remaining species. Here are some examples of living fossils...

Cycad:

These plants range from the Permian to present. They have a short woody trunk with a large crown covered in evergreen leaves. They live for a long time, up to 1000 years, and are often mistaken for palms. They can be found in tropical and subtropical parts of the world.

Modern Cycad

Fossilized Cycad

Elephant Shrew:

Elephant shrews are small, insect eating, mammals that have relatives that date from the Oligocene to modern day. Even though they have "shrew" in their name, they are not related to shrews. Elephant shrews live in all over Africa. There are four different species of Elephant shrews.

Modern Day Giant Elephant Shrew

Relative of Elephant Shrew Fossil

Tuatara:

Tuataras are local onl  to New Zealand. They are from the Pleistocene and there are only two surviving species from the order Sphenodontia. They are nocturnal and spend most of their day sunbathing. They are not very active and grow very slowly so they can live up to 100 years.

Modern Tuatara

Hagfish:

Hagfish are jaw less, eel-like, slimy marine organisms that have been around since the Permian. This hermaphroditic organism is similar to lamprey and is the only living animal with a skull and no spine. Hagfish eat anything that floats down to the bottom of the ocean such as fish and whales.

Modern Hagfish

The Cute, the Weird, and the Ugly

The Cute...

Pygmy Falcon

The pygmy falcon, Polihierax semitorquatus, is a small 19-20 cm falcon that lives in eastern and southern Africa. They typically eat insects, small reptiles, and small mammals. Where they live is mostly dry brush and they are also the smallest raptors in their area. Pygmy Falcon typically use weaver-bird nests as nests.

The Weird...

Four-Eyed Fish

Four-Eyed Fish! That's right, Four-Eyed Fish. These weird fish don't actually have four eyes, but instead each eye is divided into two parts. Their eyes are like this so they can see above and below the water at the same time. These fish get at maximum 32 cm and spend their time at the surface. They live in freshwater and brackish water in Mexico, Honduras, and north South America.

And the Ugly...

Sea Pig

Its pink, squishy, and lives under the sea, what is it? Sea Pigs! Belonging to the genus Scotoplanes, Sea Pigs are deep-sea holothurian echinoderm. These "unique" creatures, live on the abyssal plains of the Indian, Atlantic, and Pacific Oceans. They move around by inflating and deflating their tube feet. Sea Pigs eat anything that floats down to the bottom of the ocean, often referred to as "snow". You may have a face that only a mother could love but your still an important species for decomposing organic material on the abyssal plains!

(video uploaded by neptunecanada)

New Elements

After being placed on the periodic chart around a year ago, man-made elements 114 and 116 have finally been named! 114 is now Flerovium, named after the laboratory it was created in (Flerov Laboratory of Nuclear Reaction). 116 is now Livermorium after the Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory.

Nature

Nature

O Nature! I do not aspire
To be the highest in thy choir, -
To be a meteor in thy sky,
Or comet that may range on high;
Only a zephyr that may blow
Among the reeds by the river low;
Give me thy most privy place
Where to run my airy race.


In some withdrawn, unpublic mead
Let me sigh upon a reed,
Or in the woods, with leafy din,

Whisper the still evening in:
Some still work give me to do, -
Only - be it near to you!


For I'd rather be thy child
And pupil, in the forest wild,
Than be the king of men elsewhere,
And most sovereign slave of care;
To have one moment of thy dawn,
Than share the city's year forlorn.


Henry David Thoreau


http://www.poemhunter.com/poem/nature-135/

Spanish Moth

(I took a picture of a Spanish Moth on the side of my house and thought I would share it)

Spanish Moth

The Spanish Moth, actually named Xanthopastis timais, are found in the south and central America in addition to the Caribbean. They are also found in North America ranging around Texas to New York down to Florida. The North American variety's larvae have black and white bands and are often referred to as "convict caterpillars". The adults however, have pink and black fore wings with orange along the veins; their body is covered with black and grey fuzz. The adults usually live for around 8-10 days.

Ancient Insect Pollination

80% of today's plants rely on insects for reproduction by carrying their pollen grains. Over time insects like bees and butterflies have co-evolved with plants to carry their pollen and in return receive food. Recently in a piece of Cretaceous amber from Spain six small insects ,now classified as a new genus (Gymnopollisthrips), had specialized hair rings to collect pollen grains. These insects are over a million years old which makes them the oldest record of insect pollination. It is suspected that the insects used the hairs to carry pollen back to their larvae.

Photography

Like from my previous post, this some more of my own photography from my private collection that I would like to share. Please enjoy them and leave a comment to say if you like them...

Feather-saurus Rex

Look out for that feathery...Dinosaur? Yutyrannus huali was a relative of the mighty Tyrannosaurus rex. Found in northeast China, Yutyrannus specimen have been found with evidence that they were covered ,or partially covered, with short 15 centimeter feathers. Most of the feathered dinosaurs that have been found so far were small and are thought to have used their feathers for insulation. This doesn't appear to be the case with Yutyrannus because they would have lived in warmer climates,so it is thought that they used their feathers for courtship. It is hard to tell what they would have looked like exactly because few soft tissues are preserved and few complete specimens have been found. It most likely looked like a smaller Tyrannosaurus rex with a thin coat of feathers; it also had a bony nose plate. Who knows how future discoveries will help to reshape our view of dinosaurs.

The Tasmanian Tiger

The Tasmanian Tiger, actually named Thylacinus cynocephalus, was a large carnivorous marsupial that became extinct around the the 1930's. Thylacine lived in Australia, New Guinea, and Tasmania and were related to species that dated as far back as the Miocene. Their length ranged from 39-51 inches long and weighed around 40-70 lbs. They resembled a large dog with short hair that had stripes near the tail. They are thought to have become extinct due to a combination of disease, habitat encroachment, and over hunting from farmers . Even though they are declared extinct there are occasional sightings ,but none of them can be proven to be real sightings. Thylacine are a true example of how we must work to preserve our remaining species.

Here is a video showing a possible Thylacine spotting and video of them in captivity...

(uploaded by bry3500)

Poisonous Birds

The world is full of poisonous snakes, poisonous frogs, poisonous fish, and poisonous BIRDS?! That's right, a poisonous bird. There are actually a handful of poisonous birds in the world. The first one that was discovered was the hooded pitohui which has two close relatives (Variable Pitohui & Brown Pitohui). These birds are songbirds that live on the island of New Guinea. These birds contain dangerous neurotoxin alkaloids and another poison similar to that of poison dart frogs. It is thought that the birds developed the toxin, which is stored in the birds feathers and skin, to ward off parasites and larger predators. These birds are just another example of the great biodiversity of Earth.

Hooded Pitohui

Dinosaur with a Heart

Fossils, just fossilized bones right? Wrong, sometimes soft tissues are preserved too. These samples help paleontologists to better understand the physiology of dinosaurs. One of the most notable soft tissue discoveries was "Willow". Willow was a herbivore from the late Cretaceous known as a Thescelosaurus (the actual species type is unknown). Willow was significant to science because it was the first dinosaur discovered with an internal organ, a heart. After determining that the heart was present due to a high concentration of iron, CT scans of Willow's heart found that it had a "single systemic aorta" which are normally found in warm blooded mammals and birds. This suggests that Willow was possibly warm blooded which would be an amazing discovery in dinosaur evolution. Currently, Willow is exhibited at the North Carolina Museum of Natural Science in Raleigh, NC. To read more about Willow visit... http://sites.naturalsciences.org/dinoheart/fastfacts/index.html

...or if you would like to see Willow in person you can visit the North Carolina Museum of Natural Science (http://naturalsciences.org/)

BBC also made a video shortly after Willow was found in April 21, 2000...

(video uploaded by BBCWorldwide)

Killer Coelacanth

Found in British Columbia, Rebellatrix is an ancient fish related to the coelacanth; this fish has revolutionized the view of modern coelacanth. It has a fork-like stiff tail, similar to tunas; this suggests that it was a predatory fish capable of high speeds. Rebellatrix exhibits a very different view of coelacanth which leaves to question what other secrets are yet to be discovered. To read more visit...

http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2012/05/120502162441.htm 

Photography

Like I said in my profile, I enjoy taking photographs. These are just a few of my favorite photos that I thought I would share. I hope you enjoy them; if you do like them please tell me by leaving a comment.