Monthly Archives: February 2013

Cute baby alien life!

Posted on 28 February 2013 by

Hot on the heels of yesterday’s post of the Moon Jellies From Outer Space comes this video from the Oregon Coast Aquarium, showing…baby moon jellies! (But not in outer space, alas.) Jellyfish have a cool life cycle, involving both sessile … Continue reading →

Posted in biology, video | 5 Comments

Alien life

Posted on 27 February 2013 by

Yesterday’s Guardian featured a jellyfish slide show, which included the above spectacular shot (photographed by diver Alexander Semenov). This looks exactly like Moon Jellies From Outer Space, orbiting Earth. Seriously, I’m waiting for the starship Enterprise to appear in the … Continue reading →

Posted in biology | 7 Comments

Superpowers

Posted on 26 February 2013 by

Yesterday evening, our kitten Rumple was chasing a fly in the kitchen. It was one of those small types that flies silently — the kind that aimlessly zigzags back and forth in the middle of a room. It had briefly … Continue reading →

Posted in life | 5 Comments

Wallpaper Monday

Posted on 25 February 2013 by

Sanphet Prasat Palace (also called the White Palace), Thailand. Or at least a replica of it — the original was burned to the ground when Burma invaded in 1767, leaving only the raised red brick base. Sanphet Prast can be … Continue reading →

Posted in wildflowers | 1 Comment

Saturday picture show

Posted on 23 February 2013 by

The Solar Dynamic Observatory (SDO) has just finished its third year of operation, in which it continued to collect scads of fantastic data, thrill researchers all over the world, and produce truly awesome videos for the rest of us. Seriously, … Continue reading →

Posted in astronomy, science, video | 1 Comment

Giving new meaning to “electric pink”

Posted on 22 February 2013 by

Researchers from the University of Bristol have just published a study showing that flowers have yet another method of communicating their desirability to bees besides colors, patterns and scent. They have electricity. Plants are usually charged negatively and emit weak … Continue reading →

Posted in biology, science | 2 Comments

Some things never change

Posted on 21 February 2013 by

The Atlantic calls this “The 15th-Century Equivalent of Your Cat Walking on Your Keyboard,” and it first made me laugh, then gave me an odd sense of comfort. How nice to know that through 700 years of lightning fast changes … Continue reading →

Posted in history, life | 4 Comments

Not for the arachnophobes

Posted on 20 February 2013 by

This video has been making the geek rounds, and it has definitely put Santo Antônio da Platina, Brazil, on my Must Visit list. It’s home to a colony of spiders called Anelosimus eximius, which have an unusual feeding behavior. After … Continue reading →

Posted in biology, video | 3 Comments

A typical spring scene

Posted on 19 February 2013 by

Cape sorrel (Oxalis pes-caprae, also known as Bermuda buttercup) is blooming rampantly across the countryside these days. It’s not native, having been introduced to Malta around 1806 and spreading from there. Within 50 years it carpeted the Mediterranean region, cheering … Continue reading →

Posted in Portugal, wildflowers | 3 Comments

Wallpaper Monday

Posted on 18 February 2013 by

“On the road to Big Sur, California. Somewhere between San Luis Obispo and San Simeon,” writes photographer Wampics. Now this is a bike road…if you can get out in the morning before the winds start blowing. I’d guess that mountain … Continue reading →

Posted in wallpaper | 5 Comments