These itsy bitsy spiders…
…do a lot more than climbing up the water spout. They detect electrical fields and use them to – fly. And although I’m well aware that I just used the word “fly” there to refer to the activity and not … Continue reading →
Category Archives: Nature
The tardigrade seems to be here to stay
Before last night, I had never heard of the creature known as a tardigrade. But once I came across it, I still could hardly believe it existed. I think you can see why just by looking at it: Yes, that … Continue reading →
Dark days
I’m not speaking metaphorically when I say “dark days.” Right now is one of those days of the early early sunsets. To me, sunset is the most important marker rather than the shortest amount of daylight, which can actually involve … Continue reading →
Coula edulis are hard nuts to crack
But gorillas are eager to do it, despite the fact that their teeth don’t seem equipped for the job. Where there’s a will, there’s a way: After watching Loango gorillas chow down on Coula edulis nuts for over three and … Continue reading →
The California power outages everyone is railing against
A year ago, right after the terribly destructive fires in northern California, PG&E was heavily criticized for not having cut the power sufficiently when the winds blew. Now they are criticized for cutting the power when the winds blow and … Continue reading →
Something more pleasant…
…for a beautiful weekend, here’s a photo I took the other day at the ocean:
Continue reading →YouTube star Li ZiQi: imaginary life
Li ZiQi is a phenomenally successful YouTube star from China who seems to me to be a cross between Martha Stewart and Vermeer, 21st Century style. I discovered her recently via Gerard Vanderleun’s American Digest blog, and I find her … Continue reading →
“You dirty rats”
Los Angeles is experiencing an increase in its rat population: At a press conference at Los Angeles City Hall on Tuesday, DeMaio there were two particular reasons behind the rodent explosion. “First, the homeless population increase, which provides a source … Continue reading →
Tree planting and climate change
If true, this is pretty amazing: “This new quantitative evaluation shows [forest] restoration isn’t just one of our climate change solutions, it is overwhelmingly the top one,” said Prof Tom Crowther at the Swiss university ETH Zürich, who led the … Continue reading →
The fox went out on a chilly night…
He prayed for the moon to give him light He had many a mile to go that night Before he reached the town-o, town-o, town-o, Many a mile to go that night Before he reached the town. Or to be … Continue reading →
Training horses for the film “Wild Hearts Can’t Be Broken”: the horse has to want to jump
Remember those extraordinary diving horses we talked about a while back? If not, refresh your memory here. In that thread and in other online discussions, one of the big questions is: how are the horses trained to do that? There … Continue reading →
This is what passes for an eminent philosopher these days: Julian Savulescu [Part II]
[NOTE: Part I can be found here.] Later on in his interview, the philosopher and bioethicist Julian Savulescu has much to say about what humans can do on the biological level to help make the world better, in the general … Continue reading →