"We are like dwarfs sitting on the shoulders of giants. We see more, and things that are more distant, than they did, not because our sight is superior or because we are taller than they, but because they raise us up, and by their great stature add to ours." This tumblr's for all the great men and women of science for whom we owe our current understanding of the natural world; their achievements, their failures, and even their quirks, we celebrate them all.
For Science. For Inquiry. For Humanity.
Sea Cucumber Evisceration
a gutsy defense
Everyone’s favorite echinoderm the sea cucumber, may seem like a defenseless blob and while that is partially true. Sea cucumbers have devised a simple means of defending themselves from being a predators cucumber salad. When approached by a would be predator the holothuroidean simply eject parts of their gut called cuvierian tubules (which aid in respiration) into the water in hopes of either scaring or distracting the predator. This process is known as evisceration. Now you might be asking how does the sea cucumber do this without dying? That’s simple, the organs that the echinoderm expels are not totally vital and the sea cucumber can grow them back within a couple weeks. And if the whole organ expelling thing doesn’t work some sea cucumbers are known to expel a toxin called holothurin which can kill any animal in its vicinity.
video source
(via scinerds)
Misconception: There is no gravity on the Moon.
I was unaware this was even a misconception until my physics teacher asked the class what would happen if she dropped a ball on earth. Not thrown, just dropped from her hand. Unsurprisingly the class all called out the words “it would fall”.
But when she repeated the question with the moon, an unfortunately large number of the students proudly called out that it would simply fall away or float away.
So whats the truth to the matter?
There IS gravity on the Moon!
In fact, it is 1.6249 m/s2, about 16.7% that on Earth’s surface. [x]
All bodies have a gravitational force, actually, though we humans have much smaller fields of gravity (compared to planetary objects).
(via scinerds)
Some rare captures and photo collage of Albert Einstein“The most beautiful thing we can experience is the mysterious. It is the source of all true art and all science. He to whom this emotion is a stranger, who can no longer pause to wonder and stand rapt in awe, is as good as dead: his eyes are closed.”
(via astrotastic)
The Schrodinger’s Parrot, maybe attacked by the Schrodinger’s cat. Or maybe not.
(via scinerds)
Get ready for the 17 year cicada! A fairly large insect of the order hemiptera, the cicada is known for the sound of its mating call, a shrill and monotonous buzz that can last for weeks at the end of summer. Unlike crickets who make sounds by rubbing together body parts, cicadas produce their noise with a portion of their chitinous exoskeleton called the tymbal.
The word cicada comes from the Latin word cicada, and although it was common in Latin it is considered a loan word from another language, but the loaner word and language is now lost. The cicada enjoys world wide distribution with most varieties having a lifespan of 2-5 years, though some notably live much longer, specifically the 13 and 17 year cicadas. Note the large wide set eyes-but also note the three smaller eyes in a triangular pattern between the larger eyes.
Image of a cicada emerging as imago from its last instar courtesy of Pete Lounsbury under a Creative Commons 3.0 license.
Happy Birthday to David Attenborough!!
87 years and still going strong!
University student Morgan Trimble photographed this shoebill trying to eat her camera tripod after being released into the wild. The bird had been hand-reared in captivity by conservationists since it was rescued from poachers as a chick. Picture: MorganTrimble/BNPS
Modern science meets traditional craft in these art quilts by Betty Busby available in her Etsy store. Click on the images to see what each quilt represents.
When I say that you should go check out the rest of these quilts, GO CHECK OUT THE REST OF THESE QUILTS.
My favorite: Purkinje
